Suranga Lakmal appointed Captain for Test matches against South Africa

Sri Lanka Cricket is expected to name seamer Suranga Lakmal as the captain for the two-match Test series against South Africa that gets underway on the July 12 in Galle after the team’s think-tank including captain Dinesh Chandimal face a minimum of two-Test ban.

Chandimal, who missed the third Test against West Indies in Barbados earlier this week for ball tampering, faces further sanctions along with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Asanka Gurusinha. Chandimal pleaded innocent for the ball tampering charge during the second Test in St. Lucia but his plea was turned down by Judicial Commissioner Michael Beloff.

The trio have pleaded guilty for a Level Three offence that relates to bringing the game into disrepute. The Sri Lankans held up play on the third day of the second Test against West Indies in St. Lucia for two hours demanding match officials to provide evidence after being charged with ball tampering.

The minimum penalty for a Level Three offence is suspension of two Test matches and Chandimal is likely to miss both Tests against the Proteas. Beloff is expected announce the sanctions on July 10, two days prior to the first Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa.

“We have come to terms with the fact that we will be without the captain. It is a matter of how many matches he will miss. We will progress with Lakmal as there needs to be continuity,” a Sri Lanka Cricket official told Cricbuzz.

Sri Lanka won the third Test against Windies as Lakmal became the first Asian captain to win a Test match in Barbados.

SLC decided against an internal inquiry into the fiasco during the second Test, but admitted that the team management was wrong to hold up play.