Didn't want Mahela to be banned: Chief selector De Mel

Didn't want Mahela to be banned: Chief selector De Mel

By relieving Mahela Jaywardene from the captaincy for yesterday’s match against England, the Sri Lankan team management showed fine presence of mind. Kumar Sangakkara led the side while Jayawardene figured as an ordinary player. “

As a captain, Mahela was fined for the team’s slow over rate in the previous game and had he been fined again for the same offence yesterday, he would have been banned for the next match. We did not want to miss an important player like him. So, the captain was changed,” chief selector, Ashantha De Mel said from Colombo.

India’s former ICC umpire Suresh Shastri didn’t find anything wrong in the move. “It’s not against the spirit of the game.

There’s no violation of laws. It is as simple as changing the batting order for different game,” said Shastri.

“Sri Lanka can name any eligible player as captain for a match during this tournament as long as it is done at the toss,” clarified ICC official Lucy Benjamin.