Sri Lanka sack captain Mathews ahead of England tour

Angelo Mathews has been sacked as Sri Lanka captain with Dinesh Chandimal replacing him for the upcoming series with England.

The Sri Lankan cricket board asked Mathews to step down following their humiliating exit from the Asia Cup.

They finished bottom of their group after defeats to Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

"The national selectors... have requested Mathews to relinquish his duties as captain with immediate effect," the board said in a statement.

They did not specify why Mathews was sacked but he has come in for severe criticism for his leadership at the Asia Cup.

Chandimal was already captain of the Sri Lankan Test team and will now lead the country in all three formats of the game.

England will play five one-day matches, a one-off T20 and three Tests against the visitors from October 10.

Sri Lanka were thumped by 137 runs against Bangladesh in their opening match of the Asia Cup and have lost 30 of their 40 matches since January 2017.

Source: Sky Sports