Sri Lanka name Perera ODI captain

Sri Lanka Wednesday ousted Upul Tharanga as one-day captain and brought in Thisara Perera to lead the team for an upcoming ODI and T20I series in India. The move comes after a series of defeats while Tharanga and senior Sri Lankan players refused to play a 20-over international against Pakistan in Lahore. "We have appointed Thisara the ODI and T20I captain," a top Sri Lanka Cricket official told AFP ahead of a formal announcement later Wednesday.

Back home ? pic.twitter.com/QwLjuBiW5a

— Thisara perera (@PereraThisara) November 26, 2017

Batsman Tharanga, 32, was captain when Sri Lanka lost series to India, South Africa and Pakistan this year without winning a game. Having led Sri Lanka against Pakistan when they played in the UAE, Tharanga and other senior team members refused to travel to Lahore for the Pakistan leg of the T20I series. Perera was brought in as Sri Lanka became the first country to play in Pakistan since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in March 2009.

Wishing SLC new captain @PereraThisara all the very best..? come on panda ?

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) November 29, 2017

Pakistan had since been a security no-go area for international cricket teams. The three one-day games against India are on December 10 in Dharamsala, December 13 in Chandigarh and December 17 in Visakhapatnam. The T20Is are on December 20, December 22 and December 24 in Cuttack, Indore and Mumbai.