(recasts with new appointment)
COLOMBO Jan 23 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne
Dilshan has resigned from the captaincy and former skipper
Mahela Jayawardene has been reappointed to the role, the island
nation’s sports minister said on Monday.
“Dilshan has sent his resignation letter so therefore the
selectors met today and appointed Mahela Jayawardene as the
captain and Angelo Mathews as the vice captain,” Sports Minister
Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Reuters.
Dilshan quit a day after returning from South Africa where
Sri Lanka lost the three-match test series 2-1 and five-match
one-day series 3-2.
Taking over from Kumar Sangakkara after a six-wicket defeat
in the 2011 World Cup final against India, Dilshan led the team
to England, South Africa and in a home series against Australia
but failed to win a single test or one-day series.
Jayawardene captained the team for more than three years
from 2006 before Sangakkara took over.
The stylish batsman, who led Sri Lanka to the 2007 World Cup
runners-up spot, will be the captain for all three formats of
the game.
(Reporting by Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal, editing by Mark
Meadows)
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