Colombo: Ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Sri Lankan cricket team has made a significant leadership change by replacing Charith Asalanka with Dasun Shanaka, who has been reinstated as the T20 team captain.
According to Cricinfo, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board announced that Shanaka will lead the team for the tournament scheduled in February next year and will continue as captain until the conclusion of the event.
The decision on captaincy was delayed due to the expiration of the former selection committee, which was chaired by Appul Tharanga.
Upon announcing the preliminary squad for the World Cup, Sri Lanka’s new chief selector, Pramodya Wickramasinghe, confirmed that Shanaka would helm the team. The choice was made in consultation with head coach Sanath Jayasuriya.
The chief selector stated that the 25-member squad prepared by the previous selection committee has been retained as the initial squad.
After detailed discussions with high-performance head Jerome J. Ratnayake and the coaching staff, this squad was deemed optimal for the tournament.
Wickramasinghe added that Dasun Shanaka is considered as an all-rounder, and his role will be finalized in consultation with the coaching staff in the coming days.
It is noteworthy that Shanaka had been appointed vice-captain during the tri-nation series in Pakistan last month, as Charith Asalanka had to leave the series midway due to illness.
During that tournament, Sri Lanka suffered a defeat against Zimbabwe but managed to reach the final, where they lost to hosts Pakistan.