New Delhi [India], Feb 6: The injury troubles of Angelo Mathews is continuing to hurt Sri Lanka as their white-ball captain has been ruled out of the two-match T20I series in Bangladesh. Last month, the 30-year-old was announced as Sri Lanka's limited-overs captain till the 2019 World Cup. However, Mathews returned home early from the tour of Bangladesh with a right hamstring injury that has continued to hurt him since January last year.
Chairman of selectors Graeme Labrooy told in a media report that “Former skipper Angelo Mathews will not take part in the shortest format of the game against the host Bangladesh. Test captain Dinesh Chandimal, who took over the captaincy from Mathews half-way through the tri-nation series in Bangladesh, will lead the team in the two games.”
The last time Dinesh Chandimal played in a T20 International was more than a year ago in a similar scenario as Mathews picked up a hamstring injury during the tour of South Africa. It was a disappointing tour for Sri Lanka as they were whitewashed 3-0 in Tests and 5-0 in ODIs. However, Chandimal captained the side to a series win in the shortest format.
The 34-year-old missed out on international cricket for close to two years due to a knee injury before making a comeback during Champions Trophy last June. Since his return, Lasith Malinga has featured in 13 ODIs and has taken just 10 wickets at an average of 62. After a poor home series against India, he was dropped for the tours of UAE and India.