Sri Lanka batsman Dhananjaya de Silva pulled out of the West Indies tour at last moment after his father was shot dead by gunmen on the eve of the national team's departure to the Caribbean islands, police said.
The player's father Ranjan, a local politician, was gunned down in Ratmalana, a suburb of the capital Colombo, close to midnight on Thursday, police said. An investigation is underway but no arrests have been made.
Cricket officials said 26-year-old de Silva withdrew from the tour that involves three Test matches. However, there was no official word from the cricket board on who will replace de Silva.
So far, there hasn’t been any change on the departure plans of the rest of the Sri Lankan squad but a delay cannot be ruled out considering the mood in the camp. Many of the Lankan cricketers visited Kalubowila Hospital, where Dhananjaya de Silva’s father had been taken on Thursday night.
Sri Lanka will also miss opener Dimuth Karunaratne who fractured a finger while batting in the nets earlier this month as he prepared for a limited-overs domestic tournament.