Sri Lanka appoints Malinga as new T20 captain after axing Chandimal

Sri Lanka has reportedly named star fast bowler Lasith Malinga as the new Twenty20 captain after sacking Dinesh Chandimal, although they have retained Angelo Mathews as the Test and one-day skipper.

Sri Lanka went on to beat the West Indies in the semi-final and India in the final of the World T20 in Bangladesh to win their first major title since 1996 when they bagged the 50-over World Cup.

According to Sport24, Chandimal opted out of the last three matches of the World T20, including the semi-final and final, due to poor batting form, which left Malinga in charge, while the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) said that all-rounder Mathews has been retained as captain of these two formats till the end of the 2015 World Cup.

The SLC further said that batsman Lahiru Thirimanne was promoted to vice-captain in all three formats, although the report mentioned that they have yet to appoint a new coach after Englishman Paul Farbrace resigned on Tuesday to take up a possible assignment with England.

Sri Lanka is due to play two one-day matches against Ireland in Dublin early next month ahead of a tour of England that comprises one T20 international, five one-dayers and two Tests, the report added.