(UTV|COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka batsman Dhananjaya de Silva has withdrawn from the tour of West Indies after his father was killed by an as-yet unidentified gunmen on Thursday night (24).
Police confirmed that Mr. Ranjan de Silva, Dhananjaya’s father, was shot dead in Rathmalana – just south of Colombo – at around 8.30 PM. He was a councillor in the Dehiwala – Mt. Lavinia City Council, having been elected in February.
Dhananjaya was due to depart to the West Indies on Friday, with the rest of the Sri Lanka squad. Many of his team-mates had visited Kalubowila Hospital on Thursday night, where his father had been taken. For now, the team’s departure has not been affected, though it is possible plans may change. Sri Lanka Cricket are yet to officially react to the news.
Dhananjaya had only recently fought his way back into the Test side, having scored hundreds in Delhi and later Chittagong. He has played 13 Tests and 17 ODIs to date, and in January had become the fastest-equal Sri Lanka batsman to 1000 Test runs.
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