World Cup 2019: Dimuth Karunaratne appointed as Sri Lanka captain

Dimuth Karunartne has been named as the new ODI captain of Sri Lanka and will lead the side in ICC World Cup 2019

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has made a major announcement ahead of announcing its 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup. Opening batsman Dimuth Karunartne has been appointed as the new ODI captain of Sri Lanka and will lead the side in the marquee event. “Karunaratne's appointment was ratified by the Minister of Telecommunications, Foreign Employment and Sports Honorable Harin Fernando,” Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed through a media release on Wednesday.

The National Selectors today appointed Dimuth Karunaratne as the ODI Captain of the Sri Lankan team. He will lead the team during the #CWC19 READ: https://t.co/cdIoJM8skb pic.twitter.com/kke20qHsQu

— Sri Lanka Cricket (@OfficialSLC) April 17, 2019

The left-handed batsman has so far played just 17 ODIs for Sri Lanka in which he has scored 190 runs at an average that is less than 16. His last ODI appearance came against England in March 2015. The 30-year-old recently led a struggling Sri Lankan side to a historic Test series win in South Africa. This was his first series as captain and that saw his name crop up for the ODIs too. Sri Lanka are yet to announce their squad for the World Cup, where they will begin their campaign against New Zealand on June 1 at Cardiff.