Kolkata: Sri Lankan limited overs’ captain Upul Tharanga has been handed a two-match ban for maintaining a slow over rate during the second ODI against India in Pallekele on Thursday.
Match referee Andy Pycroft found that Sri Lanka were short by three overs as a result of the which Tharanga has been handed the suspension.
This is the second time in three months that the left hander has been suspended after he maintained a slow over rate against Sri Lanka’s opening game of the Champions Trophy against South Africa.
Things haven’t gone the Sri Lankan way during this entire series so far against India. In the three-match Test series, they were drubbed 3-0 and nowhere did it look as if the hosts would come back. The ODI series too began on the same note and the best chance for the hosts to stage a comeback came during the last ODI where they almost had won the match. But India edged out on a three-wicket win and already has a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Tharanga’s suspension further adds to the woes of the islanders as they are finding it really difficult to find out a way to win at the moment.
Sri Lanka recall Thirimanne and Chandimal; Kapugedara named captain
The Sri Lankan selectors has decided to name Chamara Kapugedara as the captain of the ODI team in the absence of Upul Tharanga.
Asanka Gurusinha, a selector and Sri Lanka cricket’s manager justified this decision as he said, “The main reason for appointing Kapu as the captain is because he was actually Upul’s deputy in the first two matches, and we wanted to stick with him, rather than bringing someone from outside,” Gurusinha said.
He further added, “We wanted someone who can hold his place in the side as well. He’s also respected in the team.”
The right handed middle order batsman has never captained Sri Lanka before. He has played a total of 100 ODI’s where he has scored eight fifties with an average of 21.22.
He played a crucial 40-run knock in the last match against India where he added 91 runs with Milinda Siriwardana to help Sri Lanka post a decent total on the board.
Danushka Gunathilaka has also been ruled out for 10 days with a shoulder injury which he sustained during fielding in Pallekele. Lahiru Thirimanne has been called in as his replacement.
Thirimanne had last played an ODI for Sri Lanka in January 2016 after which he was axed from the team owing to poor form. He might be a candidate for the opening slot in the third ODI as he also carries a lot of experience batting at that position.
Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal’s inclusion in the team would undoubtedly be a big boost for the hosts, especially keeping in mind that they are 2-0 down in the series and face a must-win situation in the third ODI at the same venue if they are to stay alive the competition against heavyweights India. It must be kept in mind that neither Thirimanne nor Chandimal were a part of the Sri Lankan ODI squad against Zimbabwe.
The right-handed Chandimal had a good run of form in ODI cricket in 2016 where he played a total of 13 innings, scorin six fifties and two hundreds. He has had a quiet time with the bat in the 50-over format in 2017 so far but would like to make this opportunity count against India on Sunday.