Dilshan turns politician, set to contest parliamentary elections

On Wednesday, Dilshan joined the party of Mahinda Rajapaksa, on a day when the premier's controversial government lost a no-confidence motion in Parliament

Two years after his retirement from international cricket, former Sri Lankan opener and skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan has decided to try out his luck in the field of politics. On Wednesday, he joined the party of Mahinda Rajapaksa, on a day when the premier's controversial government lost a no-confidence motion in Parliament.

The 42-year-old former cricketer became a member of Rajapaksa's newly-formed Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP). He is all set to run for a seat in Parliament from the southwestern Kalutara district, SLPP sources said. The former Sri Lankan captain has obtained the SLPP membership, party secretary Sagara Kariyawasam announced

Rajapaksa was named by President Maithripala Sirisena as prime minister in October following the shock sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier. After weeks of political turmoil in which Wickremesinghe refused to quit, Rajapaksa lost the trust vote earlier on Wednesday.

A parliamentary election scheduled for January is now in doubt due to the supreme court's temporary order which overturned Sirisena's dissolution of the current parliament.

Rajapaksa himself joined the SLPP two days ago, leaving Sirisena's SLFP party.

Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga was also a Cabinet minister in Wickremesinghe's government.