Sri Lanka seamer Lasith Malinga will be replaced by Angelo Mathews as the captain of the national side for the upcoming ICC World T20 2016.
The speedster has been nursing a knee injury for quite some time now, and could only play one match in the recently concluded Asia Cup. In the only match he played, against the UAE, Malinga was adjudged the man of the match for an outstanding spell.
However, that was Sri Lanka's first match in the tournament, after which he sat out the entire tournament.
According to a report by PTI, Malinga himself requested the Sri Lanka Cricket board to pass on the duties of captaincy to someone else, as he has been struggling with injuries.
SLC Vice President Mohan de Silva said the fast bowler had made the request, while insisting he will be available for selection.
"He will continue to make himself available for selections," De Silva said.
Sri Lanka put up a dismal performance in the Asia Cup 2016 and these are not good signs for the team just ahead of the ICC World T20, the title which they won in 2015, under the captaincy of Malinga.
As Angelo Mathews leads the Sri Lanka national team in the other two formats of the international game, he was the obvious choice. While Dinesh Chandimal led the Sri Lankan team in the New Zealand tour as well as in the India tour, Mathews has better pedigree leading a side and the all-rounder will hope to turn around Sri Lanka's fortunes in the ICC World T20.
