Dilshan to retire after Australia series

Veteran Sri Lanka opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan will retire from international cricket at the end of Australia's Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka.

Dilshan missed Sri Lanka's previous limited-overs series against England for personal reasons, but returned to the side that is currently deadlocked 1-1 with Australia after two matches in Colombo.

The third ODI, on Sunday August 28 in Dambulla, will be Dilshan's farewell to the 50-over game and Sri Lanka Cricket are hurredly making arrangements to honour his enormous contribution to the game.

The ODI series will continues with two further matches - one in Dambulla, and another at Kandy's Pallakele Stadium - before two T20 internationals that will be Dilshan's international swansong.

His final match will be the T20 international against Australia in Colombo on September 9.

The 39-year-old right-handed opener burst onto the scene for Sri Lanka in 1999, and has played 329 one-day matches for his country, scoring 10,248 runs at 39.26.

He has hit 22 centuries, including a career best 161 not out in Sri Lanka's World Cup pool match against Bangladesh at the MCG in February 2015.

He is perhaps most famous for introducing cricket to the "Dilscoop" – a fearless, ducking ramp shot that launched a searing Mitchell Starc delivery over the wicketkeeper's head for six in an SGC T20I match in 2011.

However, the same shot brought about his downfall in the opening ODI against Australia in Colombo last weekend.

A handy spinner, Dilshan also has 106 ODI wickets, and is one of just five players to have scored a century in all three forms of the game.

The aggressive right-hander retired from Test cricket in October 2013 after playing 87 matches and scoring 5,492 runs. He has also taken 39 Test wickets.

Dilshan was reportedly under significant pressure from Sri Lanka's selectors to stand aside and allow the team to build towards the 2019 World Cup.

The veteran's performances had demanded his inclusion in the Sri Lanka XI in recent years; 2015 was his most successful year in one-day cricket, scoring 1,207 runs, and he has averaged 49.18 in ODIs since 2013.

He was also the nation's top scorer in this year's World T20 campaign.

Dilshan returned scores of 22 and 10 in the two Colombo matches against Australia.

An attempt at the Dilscoop bounced off his helmet to present an easy catch in the first match, and he was bowled around his legs by Nathan Lyon in the second. 

The 39-year-old's retirement is expected to open the door for Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka to open the batting for Sri Lanka. Both those batsman had their stumps destroyed by Mitchell Starc for a combined three runs in the two ODIs so far.