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Smith lauds retiring Karunaratne ahead of second Sri Lanka Test

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8 hoursCricket

Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith has praised Sri Lanka's star opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who is set to retire after the second Test in Galle.

In the lead-up to Thursday's match, Karunaratne confirmed he would call time on his glittering career, having captained the side between 2019 and 2023, overseeing 30 Tests. 

The former Sri Lanka captain will become the seventh player from his country to reach a century of Test appearances, and he is hoping to go out with a bang after a poor run of form. 

Despite scoring fewer than 10 runs in five of his last six Test innings, Smith acknowledged that Karunaratne has been one of the best opening batters of modern times. 

"Yeah, he's had a really good career up top there for Sri Lanka, playing his 100th game as well," Smith said.

"So, yeah, I think there's a bit of a ceremony tomorrow for him before the game.

"And he's been super consistent, if not probably the most consistent top-order opening batsman for a long period of time.

"He's had a wonderful career. But, yeah, hopefully we can keep him quiet in his last game."

Smith, himself, will be out to continue his good run of form, having become the fourth Australian player to surpass 10,000 Test runs in the opening Test.

He currently has 1,863 runs for Australia in men's Tests in Asia, and he needs just 27 more runs to surpass Ricky Ponting (1,889) to become the Aussies' all-time leading run scorer on the continent. 

Indeed, Smith (six) is one away from surpassing Allan Border (also six) for the outright most hundreds for Australia in Asia in the history of the format, after scoring 141 runs from 251 deliveries in the first Test. 

Australia eased to an innings and 242-run victory in the opening game of the two-match series, with that victory their third-biggest away from home in the history of the format (innings and 360 runs v South Africa in February 2002, and an innings and 259 runs v South Africa in March 1950).

They have also won their last three men’s Tests away from home, last recording a longer such run between March 2006 and May 2008 (six in a row).

Part of Australia's success in the first Test was their ability to thrive in the difficult conditions by attacking the surface with their spin bowlers. 

Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy shared 17 wickets, dismissing Sri Lanka for 165 and 247, as they devised a bowling strategy around three frontline spinners. 

"It looks like a very dry surface and I dare say it will take a reasonable amount of spin," Smith said.

"In these conditions, it's great to have more than two options of guys who can take wickets and build pressure.

"If you look at India, who have done it so well, they've had Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and either Kuldeep Yadav or Jayant Yadav or Axar Patel - someone who bowls good spin - with them in their lineup.

"In these conditions, it's tiring for a spinner as well. It's hot and humid out there, and you can get tired by bowling spin as well as pace.

"If a batter looks comfortable against a bowler, you can take that bowler off and get someone else in.

"Even if a new bowler takes a wicket early in the spell, you can go back to the other guy, which is what India have done so well for a number of years. I have a similar philosophy."