End of the road for Tillakaratne?

Hashan Tillakaratne: is this the the final lap of a 20-year career? © AFP Enlarge

Hashan Tillakaratne, the former Sri Lankan captain, appears to have acknowledged the end of his international career after accepting a major post within the board's Cricket-Aid program.

Tillakaratne, 37, resigned from the captaincy last March after Sri Lanka were whitewashed for the first time on home soil by Australia. He was soon discarded by the selectors but vowed to fight his way back into the team again. But on Tuesday, the Sri Lankan board announced his appointment as an Executive Director of Cricket-Aid - a tsunami relief fund managing refugee camps, building new homes and looking after victims who were orphaned.

According to a media release, Tillakaratne "will oversee and be overall in charge of the operations of Cricket-Aid, Cricket-Aid camp management, Cricket-Aid village project and the Cricket-Aid Foster Parent Scheme."

Tillakaratne, who was part of Sri Lanka's triumphant World Cup team, has been selected for Western Province to play in the forthcoming Provincial Tournament and if he does play it maybe his last first-class outing before a complete retirement from the game after a two-decade long career.