Ashantha de Mel resigns as Sri Lanka’s chief selector after 2-0 loss to England
Thursday, 28 January 2021 (17:19 IST)
Colombo: Ashantha de Mel on Thursday resigned as Sri Lanka’s chief selector following the national cricket team’s 2-0 loss to England in the recently concluded home Test series.
De Mel also stepped down as team manager - a post he had simultaneously held - several days prior. He had held both roles since November 2018.
“I was planning to resign from both anyway, so I was waiting for the second Test [against England] to be over,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
“With the manager’s role, they needed the next manager to get visas ready for an upcoming tour. So I announced that earlier. I feel now it’s time for me to move on. It’s been two years,” he added.
Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that Jerome Jayaratne will take up the manager’s position. However, there is not confirmation on who might be part of a fresh selection committee.
As chief selector and manager, de Mel had overseen the elevation of Dimuth Karunaratne to the Test and ODI captaincy, but the team has had largely poor results, particularly in Test cricket.
They lost nine Tests and won just four during his tenure, suffering three 2-0 whitewashes against Australia (away), South Africa (away) and England (home). But in the first six months of his stint, Sri Lanka also won their first ever Test series in South Africa, in February and March 2019. (UNI)
