Kumar Sangakkara to step down as Sri Lankan skipper

Kumara Sangakkara. Sri Lankan skipper Kumara Sangakkara on Tuesday toldHeadlines Today that he was going to quit the national cricket team's captaincy. Sangakkara said he has already met the Lankan board officials and communicated his decision and said he felt that following the ICC World Cup finals defeat at the hands of Indian team it was time someone else took over as the captain of the Lankan cricket team. Sangakkara's disclosure came in an exclusive interview with Headlines Today Executive Editor Rahul Kanwal. Ruling out his retirement from the game, however, Sangakkara said, "I will continue to play for another two-three years." Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men had defeated Sangakkara's team by 6 wickets in the final held at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 2. It was Sri Lanka's second consecutive World Cup final defeat under his captaincy. In 2007, Lanka had lost the coveted trophy to the mighty Australians.

Big VIP booking by SL

The office of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa have requested 30 seats in the ICC president’s box, should the Lankans line up for a second successive World Cup final in Mumbai on April 2, the Indian Express reported.

“The Sri Lankan government had sent in a request to Sharad Pawar after the team booked a semifinal berth in the likelihood of them reaching the final,” a BCCI source said on the condition of anonymity.

“The President might travel with an entourage of 30 and they’ll be seated in the 200-seater president’s box at the Wankhede Stadium. Should India also make it to the final, the number of dignitaries will obviously be many more, and it is going to be quite a task for the hosts to accommodate all the local requests,” he added.