Hashan Tillakaratne retires from one-day cricket

Hashan Tillakaratne, Sri Lanka's recently appointed test captain, has announced his retirement from One-Day International cricket.

Tillakaratne, who turns 36 in July, announced his retirement in a written statement, said: "I wish to announce my retirement from one-day cricket, with immediate effect."

"I will not be there for the 2007 World Cup and this is the best time to groom youngsters. This will allow me to concentrate more on test cricket'" he said.

"I wish to thank my immediate past captain Sanath Jayasuriya and my teammates for supporting me during my return to the one-day side."

"I wish the new one-day captain Marvan Atapattu the very best in taking the side to the very top of international cricket once again."

"I shall give my best to the Sri Lanka team in Test cricket and I look forward to the challenge of the future."

Tillakaratne, recalled to the one-day side in November last year after a three-year absence, scored 3789 runs at 29.60 in 200 matches.