Sri Lanka all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva has reacted to fake news being circulated on social media that he has been dropped from the playing XI for first ODI against New Zealand after refusing to bat at no.7.
Sri Lankan news portal Ada Derana had reported that Dhananjaya was dropped after he protested the demotion down the order. It also said that Dhananjaya will be warming the benches for the three-ODI series which will begin on March 25.
“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,” the 31-year-old clarified in a tweet on March 24. The tweet was retweeted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as well.
Even legendary Sri Lankan pacer had fallen prey to the fake news as he tweeted in Dhananjaya's support.
“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 wrote in a tweet.
Dhananjaya made his ODI debut in 2016. He is yet to hit a century in the format. The closest he came to it was in 2021 when he scored run-a-ball 91 against England. In 2022, he scored 147 runs from six innings at an average of 24.5 His only half-century came against Australia in a winning cause.
After facing cleansweep in the two-Test series, Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka will now take on New Zealand in the three-ODI series. The first ODI will be played at Eden Park, Auckland.
Sri Lanka and New Zealand have gone up against each other in ODIs 99 times. Sri Lanka have won 41 matches. On Kiwi soil, Sri Lanka don't have a good track record. They have won just 12 out of 43 ODIs against the Kiwis in New Zealand. The last time Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in New Zealand was in 2015 under Angelo Mathews' captaincy.
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