Dhananjaya quits tour after father's murder

The player's father Ranjan, a local politician, was gunned down in Ratmalana, a suburb of the capital Colombo, close to midnight on Thursday, police said.

Dhananjaya de Silva during a Test match against India in New Delhi (file photo).

The father of Sri Lankan allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on the eve of the national team's departure to the West Indies on Friday, police said.

The player's father Ranjan, a local politician, was gunned down in Ratmalana, a suburb of the capital Colombo, close to midnight on Thursday, police said. An investigation is underway but no arrests have been made.

Cricket officials said, 26-year-old de Silva withdrew from the tour that involves three Test matches. However, there was no official word from the cricket board on who will replace de Silva.

Sri Lanka will also miss opener Dimuth Karunaratne who fractured a finger while batting in the nets earlier this month as he prepared for a limited-overs domestic tournament.

Later, Sri Lanka’s cricket board said it will not name a replacement for de Silva.

“There will be no replacement for Dhananjaya,” a board official told AFP .

“Instead of a 17-member squad, we will now have 16.” Sri Lanka Cricket said it will support the 26-year-old Dhananjaya “at this time of sorrow and grief“.