Colombo, Nov 26 (PTI) Charith Asalanka’s tenure as skipper of the Sri Lanka team was thrown into uncertainty after the southpaw came back home from Pakistan in the middle of the triangular series there.
He was replaced by Dasun Shanaka whom Asalanka had succeeded in 2023.
Asalanka, who was captaining the team in the bilateral ODI series in Pakistan, wanted the tour abandoned and allegedly encouraged some of his teammates to withdraw from the tournament and return home following a suicide bomb explosion in Islamabad, which killed nine people.
This did not go down well with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), which threatened stringent action for their demand to return.
The team was convinced to stay on and continue the tour while the last two games in the bilateral
series were rescheduled.
Then came the announcement that Asalanka was returning home due to ill health with Shanaka taking over the captaincy.
“We got him to return to Sri Lanka due to viral fever,” chairman of selectors Upul Tharanga told reporters here Wednesday.
However, Tharanga added that Asalanka’s form in the T20Is is a cause for concern.
“His T20 performances dropped while Shanaka with his wider T20 experience and performance was seen as a better candidate to replace him,” Tharanga said.
However, he declined to say anything when asked if Asalanka had been sacked from captaincy and if Shanaka would lead the side in the T20 World Cup in February-March.
Sri Lanka will be co-hosting the showpiece along with India. PTI Cor AH AH
