Reports: Dasun Shanaka likely to step down as Sri Lanka captain ahead of WC
Dasun Shanaka would step down as Sri Lanka’s captain before the eagerly anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, according to reports by RevSportz. The marquee event will take place in 10 venues across India from October 5 to November 19. Sri Lanka will kickstart their campaign against South Africa on October 7 at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi.
Shanaka, one of the best all-rounders, has played a major role in making the side into a formidable unit. The Sri Lanka Cricket’s decision will be made, nevertheless, in light of the team’s dismal outing in Asia Cup final. Notably, Sri Lanka suffered a humiliating 10-wicket defeat against India in the summit clash. Thereby, they failed to win the continental championship title in a row.
Moreover, Shanaka has had a dismal season individually, despite the team’s performance throughout the 16th edition of the Asia Cup. In six games, the 32-year-old all-rounder has only managed to score 54 runs.
The selectors are likely to name Angelo Mathews in the World Cup squad
Angelo Mathews, a veteran all-rounder, is expected to be named in Sri Lanka’s ODI World Cup roster. Despite his remarkable ODI record, the 36-year-old had not participated in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which was held in Zimbabwe in June 2023.
The seasoned middle-order batter has scored 5865 runs in 221 ODIs, at an average of 41.01 and a strike rate of 83.09. He has three hundreds and 40 half-centuries in the format, with an unbeaten 139 as his best. He was also a terrific bowler, taking 120 wickets, and became one of only 22 players in history to have scored over 5,000 runs and taken over 100 wickets.
In addition, Mathews was Sri Lanka’s second-leading run scorer in the 2019 World Cup, trailing only Kusal Perera. In the tournament, he amassed 244 runs in seven games at an average of 40.66, including a hundred against India.
