Tharanga highlighted that \"no decision\" had been taken, despite Asalanka's underwhelming performance and his early withdrawal from the ongoing tri-series in Pakistan, which has sparked rumours regarding his future.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe have to weigh our best options after this series,\u201d Tharanga told ESPNcricinfo when asked if Sri Lanka were contemplating a switch in leadership. \u201cWith a World Cup so close we can't make a lot of big changes. The selectors, after talking to the coach, will have to make a decision on what's best for the team.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tharanga stated that Asalanka's return from Pakistan last week was not the beginning of discussions about a new captain. He disclosed that the selection of Dasun Shanaka, the former white-ball captain of Sri Lanka, as the tour's vice captain was intentional. \"That was to give us another option.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rumours that Asalanka's mid-series flight back to Colombo was disciplinary spread quickly, especially in light of reports that some players felt uneasy staying in Pakistan after a suicide bombing in Islamabad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Tharanga rejected these theories, maintaining that it was only a medical problem. \u201cStill Charith is our captain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s because of an illness to Charith that we appointed Dasun as our stand-in captain. Charith is still the captain in our plans. We haven't made a decision to change that. We've planned all along for Charith to captain this World Cup. We'll see what happens. We haven't made a decision about that yet.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Explaining the situation further, Tharanga stressed that Asalanka\u2019s condition made it impossible for the team to keep waiting for a recovery. \u201cHe had a viral fever, and he had body aches,\u201d he told ESPNcricinfo. \u201cThe physio told us that it's hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that's why we had to make that decision.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also pointed to the team\u2019s broader issues in the middle order. \u201cWe've also had a problem in the middle order, and we've not been consistent there. If he couldn\u2019t play, we needed to have someone else there. That\u2019s why we brought Charith to Sri Lanka.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Explaining the situation further, Tharanga stressed that Asalanka\u2019s condition made it impossible for the team to keep waiting for a recovery. \u201cHe had a viral fever, and he had body aches,\u201d he told ESPNcricinfo. \u201cThe physio told us that it's hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that's why we had to make that decision.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cCharith is a very talented cricketer, with a lot of experience. I'm sure he'll be an important cricketer for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cWe've seen what he can do in the middle order, where sometimes he\u2019s won games by himself. He\u2019s in our World Cup plans.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n