Angelo Mathews & Dinesh Chandimal In Contention As Sri Lanka Cricket Set To Appoint New ODI Captain
Just six months after he sensationally stepped down as captain in the aftermath of the ODI series loss against Zimbabwe at home, Angelo Mathews can be reinstated as Sri Lanka’s skipper. Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who has not featured consistently in ODIs in recent times, is also in the reckoning as the Islanders are looking set to replace current limited-overs skipper Thisara Perera.
Both Mathews and Chandimal have led the team in the 50-over format in the past while Perera was given the captaincy in the recent ODIs against India. However, Perera is looking set to be removed from his post as newly-appointed head coach Chandika Hathurusingha is eyeing the 2019 World Cup.
Thilanga Sumathipala, the Sri Lanka Cricket president, confirmed the news saying:
“During the discussion, the Chairman of selectors informed me that they are considering appointing either Angelo Mathews or Dinesh Chandimal to fill the role.”
Sri Lanka fared poorly across all formats especially ODIs last year. They suffered 5-0 whitewashes at the hands of South Africa, India, and Pakistan. They also failed to win the ODI series against Bangladesh at home and exited the Champions Trophy at the group stage. It was followed by a shocking ODI series loss against Zimbabwe at home which made Mathews resign from his post. Upul Tharanga was given the captaincy in the ODIs after the Zimbabwe series but he failed to win even a single game.
Well, it will be interesting to see who is appointed the next skipper. While Mathews has ample experience of captaincy, he spent a considerable time last year due to injuries. On the other hand, Chandimal is not a guaranteed name in the ODI team due to his indifferent form.
The final decision is set to be announced on January 9 – before the team departs for the ODI tri-series in Bangladesh.
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