Sri Lankan cricket has been hit by unexpected drama, and Charith Asalanka has found himself at the center of controversy. The Sri Lankan national cricket team has been going through a very stressful phase for the last few days and the situation has become even more complicated regarding their tour of Pakistan.
Everything changed after a suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed 12 people and injured many others. The horrific incident immediately reminded Sri Lankan players of the 2009 Lahore attack, where several team members and security personnel were badly injured.
The Islamabad blast has created a huge stir in the Sri Lankan camp.
Due to these memories, many players, including captain Charith Asalanka, reportedly wanted to return home immediately. Seeing how concerned the visitors were, Pakistan’s top officials took immediate action. Senior officials, including the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and high-ranking military leaders, personally attended to defuse the situation.
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He assured the Sri Lankan team that their security would be considered the country’s top priority. Soon after, Pakistan deployed military forces to protect the players throughout their stay. Despite these strict measures, the original plans for the tour had to be changed.
The dates of the last two ODIs were moved to November 14 and November 16 to ensure that both teams got time to recover from the shock. Not only this, the T20I tri-series between Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, starting from November 18, has also been completely shifted to Rawalpindi.
Charith Asalanka may lose captaincy after attempting to leave Pakistan tour
After the conclusion of Sri Lanka’s white-ball games against Pakistan, SLC is set to take stern action against captain Asalanka after it emerged that he was the main man behind the chaos in the touring camp when he abandoned the tour following the Islamabad attack.
Asalanka made its name with a reputation for steady performances, calm personality and respecting the spirit of the game. The star batsman has been praised for the way he conducts himself, and many believe that he is the perfect example of what a modern Sri Lankan cricketer should be.
But everything changed when SLC learned that Asalanka tried to pull out of the Pakistan tour, which affected others as well. The officials were left disappointed and shocked and now they are ready to remove Asalanka from the captaincy.
Charith Asalanka has been one of Sri Lanka’s best discoveries, he has always conducted himself with decency and never brought the game into disrepute. But he had to suffer the consequences of his wrong attempt to cancel the Pakistan tour. He will lose the captaincy for the World Cup. Timely reminder that no one is bigger than the game. pic.twitter.com/f0nVFlCjld
– Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) 18 November 2025
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SLC officials not happy with Charith Asalanka’s efforts
He felt that Asalanka’s attempt to cancel the Pakistan tour cost him dearly, as it was seen as a poor decision, especially from someone who was being groomed as a long-term leader. As a result, Asalanka will lose the captaincy ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
However, SLC said Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando have returned home due to illness.
This led to a sudden change in his T20I leadership ahead of the T20I tri-series with Dasun Shanaka being made captain.
