After over two years out of the side, he returned to international cricket in the Bank Alfalah Cup in May 2003, as part of the Sri Lankan side who were heavily beaten by Pakistan. He did not play again in the tournament; and after that was out of the Sri Lankan ODI side for nearly five years, until the 2008 Sri Lankan tour of the West Indies. By this time his role in the side had changed, moving up to bat in the middle order, and he played an important role in the third ODI, scoring 41 in 33 balls, and forming a partnership of 79 in 56 balls with Tillakaratne Dilshan.