Chandika Hathurusingha asked by SLC to return home from SA tour

Steve Rixon, Sri Lanka’s fielding coach, will take charge of the team in the Twenty20s, in Hathurusingha’s absence.

Sri Lanka Cricket will ask Chandika Hathurusingha (in picture) about his plans for the World Cup.

Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach of the Sri Lankan team, has been asked to return home from South Africa in the middle of the team’s limited-overs assignment. For the subsequent Twenty20 International series, Steve Rixon, the fielding coach, will take charge in his absence.

“Hathurusingha has been asked to return from South Africa after the final [One-Day International]. Steve Rixon will take charge for the T20 series,” Shammi Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket president, said on Thursday.

South Africa leads the series 4-0 ahead of the final match to be held in Cape Town on March 16. The Twenty20s will be held between March 19 and March 24, 2019.

The SLC will ask Hathurusingha about his plans for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, confirmed Silva.

Hathurusingha was appointed as Sri Lanka’s head coach in December, 2017, after having shepherded Bangladesh to success. Under him, however, Sri Lanka has slipped in the ICC rankings. It also failed to secure an automatic qualification for the T20 World Cup in Australia, in 2020.

This setback comes soon after he oversaw his team’s historic 2-0 Test series win in South Africa.