Thilan Samaraweera retires
Five of Samaraweera's best
100 v Pakistan, Faisalabad, 2004
Half an hour into the first day's play in Faisalabad, few would have thought Sri Lanka had a shot at drawing the match, let alone winning it. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami had ripped through the top order and Sri Lanka were struggling at 9 for 3. Samaraweera dug in and struck a doughty hundred, establishing a reputation of a stubborn fighter. His first century on foreign soil helped Sri Lanka reach a respectable 243 before a blitzkrieg by Sanath Jayasuriya in the second innings shut Pakistan out of the match. •Getty Images
Half an hour into the first day's play in Faisalabad, few would have thought Sri Lanka had a shot at drawing the match, let alone winning it. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami had ripped through the top order and Sri Lanka were struggling at 9 for 3. Samaraweera dug in and struck a doughty hundred, establishing a reputation of a stubborn fighter. His first century on foreign soil helped Sri Lanka reach a respectable 243 before a blitzkrieg by Sanath Jayasuriya in the second innings shut Pakistan out of the match. •Getty Images
83 v India, Colombo, 2010
It wasn't the unbeaten century in the first innings, but the gritty 83 on a tough track that showcased Samaraweera's ability to play spin. With Sri Lanka 87 for 6 in the second innings, and leading by 76, Samaraweera brought calm to the proceedings. He guided the lower order once again, stitching together partnerships with Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga. Unfortunately, his efforts didn't bring Sri Lanka victory. A hundred from VVS Laxman took India past the target of 257 and leveled the three-match series at 1-1.•Cameraworx/Live Images
It wasn't the unbeaten century in the first innings, but the gritty 83 on a tough track that showcased Samaraweera's ability to play spin. With Sri Lanka 87 for 6 in the second innings, and leading by 76, Samaraweera brought calm to the proceedings. He guided the lower order once again, stitching together partnerships with Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga. Unfortunately, his efforts didn't bring Sri Lanka victory. A hundred from VVS Laxman took India past the target of 257 and leveled the three-match series at 1-1.•Cameraworx/Live Images
125 v West Indies, Port of Spain, 2008
With a 1-0 lead in the series, Sri Lanka would have backed themselves to take the advantage on an evenly poised third day of the second Test in Port of Spain. The day began disastrously for Sri Lanka, however. With the score 78 for 5 at lunch, Samaraweera stepped up to the challenge. He shepherded Sri Lanka's lower order, adding 138 runs with Chaminda Vaas to take the second-innings total to 268. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul chased the target down with ease, but Samaraweera impressed with his grit. •AFP
With a 1-0 lead in the series, Sri Lanka would have backed themselves to take the advantage on an evenly poised third day of the second Test in Port of Spain. The day began disastrously for Sri Lanka, however. With the score 78 for 5 at lunch, Samaraweera stepped up to the challenge. He shepherded Sri Lanka's lower order, adding 138 runs with Chaminda Vaas to take the second-innings total to 268. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul chased the target down with ease, but Samaraweera impressed with his grit. •AFP
102 v South Africa, Durban, 2011
Sri Lanka pulled off an incredible upset, beating South Africa by 208 runs for their first Test-match win in the country. One of the chief architects of the memorable victory was Samaraweera, with a knock of 102. His knock set up an imposing first-innings total of 338 for Sri Lanka, before their bowlers dismissed South Africa for 168 to take a lead of 170. South Africa simply never recovered and a second batting collapse from them ensured Sri Lanka's triumph.•AFP
Sri Lanka pulled off an incredible upset, beating South Africa by 208 runs for their first Test-match win in the country. One of the chief architects of the memorable victory was Samaraweera, with a knock of 102. His knock set up an imposing first-innings total of 338 for Sri Lanka, before their bowlers dismissed South Africa for 168 to take a lead of 170. South Africa simply never recovered and a second batting collapse from them ensured Sri Lanka's triumph.•AFP
115 not out v South Africa, Cape Town, 2012
From the highs of a maiden win in South Africa, Sri Lanka came tumbling down to be comprehensively routed. Samaraweera's century in the second innings, after Sri Lanka were asked to follow-on, was the saving grace as the batting crumbled in the face of some relentless bowling. His knocks made him the third batsman after Azhar Mehmood and Sachin Tendulkar to score two hundreds in a series in South Africa.•AFP
From the highs of a maiden win in South Africa, Sri Lanka came tumbling down to be comprehensively routed. Samaraweera's century in the second innings, after Sri Lanka were asked to follow-on, was the saving grace as the batting crumbled in the face of some relentless bowling. His knocks made him the third batsman after Azhar Mehmood and Sachin Tendulkar to score two hundreds in a series in South Africa.•AFP