Arnold to quit after the World Cup

Russel Arnold, the Sri Lankan middle-order batsman, has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the World Cup. Saturday's final at Barbados will be Arnold's last match for Sri Lanka, if selected. He will continue to play domestic cricket for the Colombo-based Nondescripts Cricket Club.

"Russel has informed his decision to team manager Michael Tissera in Jamaica and it has now been officially conveyed to the cricket board," Samantha Algama, a spokesman with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told AFP.

Primarily a one-day player, Arnold has the experience of 179 ODIs, scoring nearly 3500 runs at an average over 35, mostly in the middle order. His ability to graft in the middle overs and accelerate towards the end of an innings and his tidy offspin made him a utility player in Sri Lanka's one-day squad from the late nineties.

However, he was in and out of the squad following the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, with the national selectors looking to blood younger players. He was recalled for the 2007 World Cup, largely for his experience and in ten games, has managed 117 runs at a healthy strike rate of over 82.

He began his career as a Test opener back in 1997, later dropping down the order. In 44 Tests he has scored 1821 runs at an average of 28.11. His last appearance in Tests was in the 2004 tour of Australia.

Arnold is the latest to join the player exodus after the World Cup, following the high-profile exits of Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath and a host of international coaches.