Sri Lanka’s selectors are quietly debating whether Charith Asalanka should keep the T20 armband, only two months before a home World Cup. No formal call has been made, yet chief selector Upul Tharanga admits the subject is very much on the table.
“We have to weigh our best options after this series,” said Tharanga when pressed on the captaincy issue. “With a World Cup so close we can’t make a lot of big changes. The selectors, after talking to the coach, will have to make a decision on what’s best for the team.”
That measured line sums up a tricky moment. Asalanka’s returns with the bat have tailed off – a strike-rate of 122 this year, just 156 runs in 12 knocks – and Sri Lanka have lost more matches than they have won under his leadership (11 wins, 14 defeats). Put bluntly, the team look flat at a time when rivals are sharpening up.
Form is only part of the story. Asalanka was flown home from the current tri-series in Pakistan, officially because of illness. Rumours have swirled – some suggesting he wanted out after a suicide bombing in Islamabad – but the selectors maintain there is nothing more sinister than a bad bug.
“Charith hasn’t been among the runs in T20s, and because of an illness he was forced to return home, unfortunately,” Tharanga noted. A few days earlier he had already hinted at a contingency plan by naming Dasun Shanaka vice-captain for the tour. “That was to give us another option,” Tharanga said.
Inside the camp, Shanaka is respected and has led Sri Lanka before, so the idea of him stepping up would hardly be radical. Even so, Tharanga keeps stressing that the door has not closed on Asalanka.
“Still Charith is our captain. It’s because of an illness to Charith that we appointed Dasun as our stand-in captain. Charith is still the captain in our plans. We haven’t made a decision to change that. We’ve planned all along for Charith to captain this World Cup. We’ll see what happens. We haven’t made a decision about that yet.”
If Asalanka’s numbers were healthier, this would probably be a non-story. His career strike-rate of 126 across 68 innings is fine, not sparkling, and in 2025 he has managed only one score above 30. Coaches worry the middle order lacks someone to seize decisive overs, which is why selectors have been scouring domestic games for fresh hitting.
“He had a viral fever, and he had body aches,” Tharanga said of Asalanka’s exit from Pakistan. “The physio told us that it’s hard for him to predict when Charith would get better, and that’s why we had to make that decision.”
For a captain who is unwell, a two-week tri-series can feel longer than it really is. Sri Lanka needed cover, so they called up an extra batter rather than wait. “We’ve also had a problem in the middle order, and we’ve not been consistent there. If he couldn’t play, we needed to have someone else there. That’s why we brought Charith to Sri Lanka,” Tharanga added.
Statistically minded observers point out that Asalanka’s overall leadership record is better than it looks; several defeats came against top-ranked opposition away from home. They also note he has handled bowlers well, often rotating spin and pace smartly on surfaces that offer little margin for error. Even so, T20 captaincy tends to be judged on results and personal runs, and right now neither column is glowing.
What happens next? Sri Lanka return from Pakistan next week, then the selection panel meet again. Conditioning staff expect Asalanka to be fit within a fortnight, which gives him a realistic chance of making the final preparatory series in Colombo. Performance there may be decisive.
Despite all this, Tharanga finished on a supportive note. “Charith is a very talented cricketer, with a lot of experience. I’m sure he’ll be an important cricketer for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup. We’ve seen what he can do in the middle order, where sometimes he’s won games by himself. He’s in our World Cup plans.”
So, for the moment, Sri Lanka hover between continuity and change. A loyal skipper with thin form on one side; a proven stand-in and a vocal public on the other. The next fortnight, and perhaps one solid knock, could settle it either way.
