Dimuth Karunaratne Joins Sri Lanka's Elite 7,000-Run Test Club

Dimuth Karunaratne became the fourth Sri Lankan to surpass 7,000 Test runs during a historic win against England. Despite a modest series performance, his achievement cements his legacy among Sri Lanka's Test greats as they climb the World Test Championship standings.

Dimuth Karunaratne has made history by becoming the fourth Sri Lankan to score 7,000 runs in Test cricket. This milestone was achieved during Sri Lanka's first Test victory on English soil in a decade, where Karunaratne contributed 17 runs across both innings, affirming his status as a Test cricket legend for Sri Lanka.

Karunaratne has now joined an elite group of Sri Lankan batsmen that includes Kumar Sangakkara (12,400 runs), Mahela Jayawardene (11,814 runs), and Angelo Mathews (7,734 runs). His performance in the three-match series against England was underwhelming, accumulating only 108 runs at an average of 18.00 over six innings.

In contrast, Pathum Nissanka stole the spotlight with his explosive performance on Day Four of the third Test, scoring an unbeaten 127 off 124 deliveries. Nissanka's efforts led Sri Lanka to a historic 8-wicket victory at Kennington Oval. Despite this win, England clinched the series 2-1.

Sri Lanka's final Test victory had significant implications for the World Test Championship standings. Boosted by their win, Sri Lanka climbed to the fifth position with a points percentage of 42.857 after seven Tests in this cycle. England, with a points percentage of 42.187, slipped to the sixth spot. India continues to lead the standings with a points percentage of 68.52, followed closely by defending champions Australia with 62.50.

(With inputs from agencies.)