Following Sri Lanka’s dismal showing at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 last month, Wanindu Hasaranga has stepped down as T20I captain.
The Islanders were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. They were drawn in Group D alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Nepal. The team coached by Wanindu Hasaranga was one of the favourites to advance to the group stage. However, they failed to live up to expectations and bowed out of the competition in the first round.
Sri Lanka started their campaign in the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup in humiliating fashion. They were bowled out for just 77 runs against South Africa and lost the game by six wickets. In their second game, they suffered a 2-wicket defeat against Bangladesh as their batsmen failed to get the job done for the second consecutive game.
They were eliminated from the tournament after their third group match against Nepal was called off. In their last group match, Sri Lanka had defeated the Netherlands by 83 runs.
Wanindu Hasaranga resigns:
Days after the humiliating exit from the T20 World Cup, Wanindu Hasaranga has stepped down as Sri Lanka’s T20I captain. The spin-bowling all-rounder failed to lead his team from the front in the tournament as Sri Lanka failed to perform well in another ICC competition.
“Sri Lanka will always count on my best efforts as a player, and I will support and stand by my team and leadership as always,” Hasaranga wrote in his resignation letter to SLC.
In the first two matches, Wanindu Hasaranga could not even open his account despite taking 2 wickets in each of them. In the third match against the Netherlands, he scored an unbeaten 20 and took 2 more wickets.
Wanindu Hasaranga was appointed Sri Lanka’s captain in T20Is in December last year after Dasun Shanaka was sacked as the white-ball captain. The bowler led Sri Lanka in a total of 10 T20Is and took 19 wickets while scoring 137 runs. Under his captaincy, Sri Lanka won the home series against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan earlier this year.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is expected to announce the new T20I captain soon as they take on India in a three-match T20I series later this month. The series against the T20I world champions is scheduled to begin on July 26.