Dilshan named captain for England tour

al-Sagar · #1 April 18, 2011, 10:53 PM

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed Sri Lanka's captain for all three formats during the upcoming tour of England in May following Kumar Sangakkara's resignation from the post after the World Cup. Sri Lanka Cricket have not yet named a vice-captain to fill the role vacated by Mahela Jayawardene because "the prospective candidates are nursing injuries, and their availability for the forthcoming tour is still in question."

Dilshan's appointment ends the speculation over whether he, or 23-year-old allrounder Angelo Mathews, would be named as Sangakkara's immediate successor. Mathews is presently fighting to recover from a leg injury which he said could keep him out for eight weeks.

In a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Sangakkara, who resigned with a view of giving the next captain enough time to build a team before the 2015 World Cup, had backed either player to take over the captaincy. "If they think Angie [Angelo] is too young then Dilshan will do a good job because he has these little touches for success. Anything he does on the field, he has this little knack," he said. "I don't know whether he will be the long-term candidate with his age, but if he keeps himself fit he can easily play the next World Cup."

Dilshan, 34, previously led Sri Lanka to a win in a triangular ODI series in Zimbabwe - the third team being India - in May-June 2010, apart from captaining the side in two Twenty20 internationals in 2008 and 2009. Presently with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, Dilshan is coming off a rich vein of form in the World Cup, in which he topped the batting table with 500 runs from nine matches at 62.50.

Sohel · #2 April 18, 2011, 11:55 PM

Looking forward to his captaincy. The first ex-Muslim captain of Sri Lanka.

Rabz · #3 April 19, 2011, 12:03 AM

A short term solution really.
At 34, it is highly unlikely that he would play the next world cup.
I think Angelo Mathews would eventually be the captain, but till he recovers from his injuries and make a proper comeback, Dilshan would have to carry on with the job.
Good luck to him.