CWC Qualifiers, Dimuth Karunaratne clocks his 11th ODI fifty: Stats
Veteran batter Dimuth Karunaratne starred for Sri Lanka against West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 in Harare. Karunaratne hammered his 11th ODI fifty and his third of the qualifiers. On the back of his and Pathum Nissanka's opening stand, SL defeated WI by eight wickets. They chased down WI's total of 243 in only 44.2 overs. Here's more.
A fine knock from Karunaratne's blade
Karunaratne has shone for SL ever since he returned to the ODI format. He has given the Lankan Lions some very decent starts, providing a platform to the explosive middle order. Against WI, he slammed a 92-ball 83 and stitched a 190-run partnership with Nissanka to guide SL to victory. The 35-year-old fell prey to Akeal Hosein in the 37th over.
Third-highest run-scorer in the Qualifiers
Courtesy of his third fifty, Karunaratne finished the Super Sixes with 369 runs in the Qualifiers from seven matches. Only Sean Williams (600) and Nissanka (394) are ahead of him in the runs tally. He owns an average of 61.50 and had slammed a ton.
A look at his overall ODI numbers
Karunaratne made his ODI debut in July 2011 against England. However, he failed to cement his place in the SL squad back then. After a long hiatus, he made a return to the team this year and has been in great form. He has compiled 1,248 runs in 44 ODIs at an average of 34.66. His tally includes 11 fifties and a solitary hundred.
Third-highest runs in ODI since his comeback
Karunaratne returned to the SL ODI setup in May 2023 and since then he has slammed five fifties and a ton. He has smoked 481 runs in 10 ODIs in this period and only Williams (600) and his Nissanka (526) have scored more than him.
