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Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne discussed his goals after playing a valuable innings on Day 2 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at Sinhalese Sports Club on Saturday.
Karunaratne played a brilliant knock, scoring 77 runs off just 72 balls with the help of 12 boundaries. The 35-year-old talked about his fitness and emphasized that playing 100 Tests is a significant achievement for any Test cricketer. "My first goal is to get to 100 Tests. That's a great achievement for any Test cricketer. If I get there, I want to see how close I am to 10,000 runs, and then I'd try to push for that. At the moment, my fitness is good," Karunaratne said in an interview on Day 2, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. The Colombo-born cricketer further stated that he can score 3000 more runs in Test cricket. "I'm trying to leave a good legacy in this format. I'm close to 7000 runs, and maybe in the next two or three years, I can get to that 3000 more. Those are my two goals, so I have to maintain my fitness and consistency," the batter added. Regarding the match, the hosts resumed Day Two at 80/0, with openers Dimuth Karunaratne unbeaten on 42 runs and Nishan Madushka unbeaten on 36 runs. Both batsmen scored only 13 runs on the second day, as Madhushka was dismissed at 93 runs after scoring 37 runs. Sri Lanka lost their second wicket when Kushal Mendis was dismissed for just 10 runs. The third wicket fell at 143 runs when Karunaratne departed after scoring 77 runs. After the fall of three wickets, experienced cricketers Mathews and Chandimal built a partnership of 232 runs before the latter fell to spinner Qais Ahmad after scoring 141 runs with 14 fours and three sixes. Mathews also played a brilliant innings, scoring 107 runs with 10 fours and a six. For Afghanistan, the pick of the bowlers is Naveed and Qais, who have taken two wickets each. Nijat Masood took one wicket in his 16-over spell, conceding 59 runs. At Day 2 stumps, Sri Lanka is 410/6, with Sadira Samawicrama batting on 21 with three fours and a six. (ANI)
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