Renowned sports journalist Rex Clementine has raised concerns over the selection strategies employed by the Sri Lankan cricket selectors in relation to opening batsman and Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne.

Despite his recent outstanding form in ODI cricket, Clementine questions the decision to include Karunaratne in the national squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) for the third time, considering his limited appearances in the format.

Karunaratne, who has played a mere 40 ODIs since his debut in 2011, surprisingly featured in the 2015 edition of the CWC. However, following that tournament, the talented batsman was sidelined and did not receive a single ODI opportunity until he was unexpectedly recalled for the 2019 CWC. Unfortunately, his tenure was short-lived, as he was subsequently dropped from the team a year later. Nevertheless, the selectors once again decided to recall him in the lead-up to the 2023 CWC, leaving many perplexed as to their reasoning behind this decision.

Clementine openly questions the selectors' motives and suggests that the reasoning behind Karunaratne's recurrent inclusion remains unclear. Given his limited exposure in ODI cricket, the journalist raises concerns about the selectors' ability to consistently identify and nurture talent in the national squad.

The cricketing fraternity awaits an explanation from the Sri Lankan cricket selectors regarding their rationale for repeatedly selecting Karunaratne for major tournaments, despite his lack of consistent involvement in the ODI format.