Charith Asalanka to be sacked as Sri Lanka captain for trying to scrap Pakistan tour after bomb blast

Sri Lankan cricket has been hit by unexpected drama, and Charith Asalanka has found himself at the center of the controversy. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team has been going through a very tense few days, and the situation around their Pakistan tour has become even more complicated.

Everything changed after a suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed 12 people and left many others injured. The frightening incident immediately reminded the Sri Lankan players of the 2009 Lahore attack, where several team members and security staff were badly hurt.

Islamabad blast forces massive shake-up in Sri Lankan camp

Because of these memories, several players, including captain Charith Asalanka, reportedly wanted to return home right away. Seeing how worried the visitors were, Pakistan’s top authorities stepped in quickly. Senior officials, including the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and high-ranking military leaders, personally got involved to calm the situation.

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They assured the Sri Lankan team that their safety would be treated as the country’s highest priority. Soon after, Pakistan assigned military forces to protect the players throughout their stay. Even with these strong measures, the original plan for the tour had to be changed.

The last two ODIs were pushed to November 14 and November 16 to ensure both teams have time to recover from the shock. Not just that, the T20I tri-series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe has also been moved entirely to Rawalpindi, starting on November 18.

Charith Asalanka to lose captaincy after attempt to abandon Pakistan tour

After Sri Lanka’s white-ball games against Pakistan ended, the SLC is all set to take strong action against the skipper Asalanka after it emerged that he was the main man behind the chaos in the touring camp over abandoning the tour following the Islamabad attack.

Asalanka built his name with steady performances, a calm personality, and a reputation for respecting the spirit of the sport. The star batter has been admired for the way he carried himself, and many believed he was the perfect example of what a modern Sri Lankan cricketer should be.

But everything changed when the SLC got to know that Asalanka tried to pull out of the Pakistan tour, which influenced others as well. Officials were left frustrated and shocked, and now they are set to remove Asalanka from the captaincy.

Charith Asalanka has been one of Sri Lanka’s best finds, always carrying himself with grace and never tarnishing the game. But his ill-advised attempt to scrap Pakistan tour has cost him dearly. He’ll lose the captaincy for World Cup Timely reminder nobody is bigger than the game pic.twitter.com/f0nVFlCjld

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) November 18, 2025

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SLC officials not happy with Charith Asalanka's attempt

They felt that Asalanka’s attempt to scrap the Pakistan tour had cost him dearly, as it was seen as poor judgment, especially from someone who was being prepared as a long-term leader. As a result, Asalanka will lose the captaincy ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

However, the SLC stated that Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando have returned home due to illness.

This led to a sudden change in their T20I leadership ahead of the T20I tri-series with Dasun Shanaka being named skipper.