24 March 2023 05:35 pm
Former Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga tweeted his support for Dhananjaya de Silva after reports emerged that the all-rounder had refused to bat at number seven in tomorrow's first ODI against New Zealand.
"Dhananjaya De Silva is such a valuable asset to any international cricket team. He is a proper top order batsman who must play in the top 4 on any condition with any team combination. His bowling adds a lot of value as well," Malinga tweeted.
Reports suggested that de Silva had been dropped for the first two ODIs as a result of his refusal to bat lower down the order, though De Silva took to Twitter to deny the rumours, stating that he stands with the team.
"The story circulating in social media saying that I have refused to bat at No. 7 during tomorrow's game is false, and I wish to state that I am a player who always stands with the team," tweeted.
Sri Lanka begin a three-match ODI series against New Zealand tomorrow, needing a clean-sweep of the series to seal an automatic place in the Cricket World Cup 2023.