Lasith Malinga will lead Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI against India. (Source: AP)
Sri Lankan cricket has been hurt by miserably form, run of recent results, administrative issues, and if that wasn’t enough, fitness concerns too. Chamara Kapugedara became the most recent player to pull out of the series against India, which the visitors lead 3-0, with a back injury. Lasith Malinga will step in his place for the fourth ODI to be played on Thursday. But Upul Tharanga will return to lead the side in the fifth ODI. Malinga’s appointment is the fifth captaincy change to the Sri Lankan side in the last seven competitive matches. Tharanga had been banned for two games for slow over rate which meant he was ruled out for third and fourth ODI.
Malinga’s appointment as make-shift captain comes just two months after he was fined and handed a suspended ban for comments he made after Sri Lanka’s lackluster show at the ICC Champions Trophy in June.
The turmoil in Sri Lankan cricket also shifted to administrative changes on Tuesday. The selection panel released a lengthy statement stating they had resigned following a terrible stretch that had seen the Sri Lankan side win just four of their last 15 matches across all formats. It included an embarrassing exit at the Champions Trophy, ODI series defeat to lower-ranked Zimbabwe and failing to open the account against India in Tests and ODIs.
During the Test series against India, Sri Lanka used two captains in veteran spinner Rangana Herath who had to come in to replace Dinesh Chandimal. The hosts lost the Test series 0-3 and have already lost the five-match ODI series against India 0-3.
