Malinga steps down, Mathews SL captain

PTI/IANS COLOMBO, March 7 Injury-ravaged pacer Lasith Malinga has stepped down as Sri Lanka’s captain for the upcoming World Twenty20 in India following another breakdown during a disappointing Asia Cup campaign in Bangladesh. Malinga, who led Sri Lanka to their maiden World T20 title in the 2014 edition, is battling a nagging knee injury. All-rounder Angelo Mathews, who leads Sri Lanka in ODIs and Tests, will now be the team’s captain in all three formats, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources said. SLC Vice President Mohan de Silva said Malinga had written to the SLC on Sunday night offering to step down. “He will continue to make himself available for selections,” de Silva said. It is speculated that the SLC management is unhappy with Malinga’s policy of selecting games and tournaments to play based on his recurring injury. He played only the opening match of the Asia Cup in which Sri Lanka fared very badly. The islanders eventually crashed out of the tournament losing to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in what was their worst run in T20 history. Pakistan apprehensive However, IANS report from Dharamsala says a team of security officials from Pakistan were apprehensive about the security of their country's cricket players during the Pakistan-India match here on March 19, an Indian official said on Monday. The team from Pakistan arrived through the Attari-Wagha border post near Amritsar and reached Dharamsala to review the security arrangements for the match which is part of the coming ICC T20 World Cup. The distance between the Gaggal airport and the stadium is about 20 km. Likewise, the players' residential complex, known as The Pavilion, is five km away from the stadium. The Pakistani team, which refused to interact with the media, also visited the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium here and The Pavilion. "However, they are quite satisfied with the security arrangements at the stadium and the residential complex," the official, who didn't wish to be identified, told IANS. The Pakistani team crossed the Wagha-Attari joint checkpost on foot before heading for Dharamsala, nearly 235 km from Attari. "We would like to proceed further. You know the reason why we have come here," an official from the team told the media at Attari without elaborating. The visiting team was joined by a Pakistani High Commission official in New Delhi.