Colombo: Sri Lanka appointed two new captains Wednesday to replace Angelo Mathews, who resigned after his side’s humiliating home ODI series 2-3 defeat to bottom-ranked Zimbabwe.
Dinesh Chandimal will lead the Test side while Upul Tharanga will captain in limited-overs matches, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in release. Both will have their first assignments against India who visit them for a full tour starting July.
“Mathews tendered his resignation a short while ago this (Wednesday) morning,” said SLC chief Thilanga Sumathipala. “We want to regroup and restructure and move forward.”
Mathews said he took the blame for Sri Lanka’s recent woes, and was making room so his successor could prepare the side for the World Cup in 2019.
“There were times when I wanted to step down, but I did not want to let the team down at that time because there were no replacements as such,” he told reporters here Wednesday. But I feel this is the right time. There are candidates who can take over the reins.”
Mathews described the shock defeat as lowest point in his career and a ‘hard pill to swallow’. On the other hand SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinghe said the team had hit rock bottom but would bounce back.
“After losing to Zimbabwe in the ODI series, we have to go up. This side is too good to keep going down,” Gurusinghe asserted.
Their first challenge starts Friday, when Chandimal will lead the side for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. “I am going to put my heart and soul into the team,” Chandimal said.
