Tillakaratne Dilshan steps down from Sri Lanka’s captaincy; Mahela Jayawardene takes over

Tillakaratne Dilshan steps down from Sri Lanka’s captaincy; Mahela Jayawardene takes over

Tillakaratne Dilshan has stepped down from captaincy of the Sri Lankan team following a Test and One Day International (ODI) series loss against South Africa.

"Dilshan has resigned as Captain in all three formats of the game," a Sri Lanka Cricket release stated. "Members of the Executive committee take this opportunity to thank Dilshan for his commitment and dedication during his tenure as the National Captain.
We also wish him well as he continues to represent Sri Lanka as a National Player."

The 35-year-old took over as Sri Lanka’s captain after the ICC World Cup 2011, but has been unable to make an impression. He lost back to back series against Australia, Pakistan and South Africa before finally deciding to quit from his leadership role.

The Sri Lankan side is scheduled to take part in a triangular series in Australia, where they will be up against India, apart from the hosts. The team will be led by veteran Mahela Jayawardene, who quit the role in 2009.

Although Dilshan has been unable to make an impression with the bat as well, he has been retained in the squad, which will be headed to Australia.

The 15-member team announced for the tri-nation series is: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof,
Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chanaka Welegedara, Dhammika Prasad.

The Sri Lankan cricket board was under immense pressure following the recent failures of the team. Dilshan was likely to be sacked from captaincy, but he quit the role before the board could come up with any decision.

Other than this, the Lankan Lions may get a new coach as well, as Australia’s Geoff Marsh is likely to lose his job. He was hired after the team’s home series against Australia.

However, the former Australian player has not been given enough time to put the team on the right path. He might get the benefit of the doubt, as Sri Lanka’s performance has been decent in South Africa, despite losing the series.

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Posted by Waqar Masood on Jan 23 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry