Days after announcing his retirement from international cricket, Bhanuka Rajapaksa has changed his mind as he withdrew the resignation letter handed to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by him last week. Rajapaksa, who cited family obligations as the reason behind his decision, had raised many eyebrows by the suddenness of his decision. However, he is set to be available for the country across all formats once again.
“I have very carefully considered my position as a player, husband and am taking this decision looking forward to fatherhood and associated familial obligations,” Rajapaksa’s letter to the board read. However, on January 13, renowned cricket administrator Roshan Abeysinghe took to his Twitter account to inform the withdrawal of Rajapaksa’s letter submitted to the board. “Great news! Welcome back @BhanukaRajapak3 Cricketer Bhanuka Rajapakshe withdraws his resignation letter handed over to Sri Lanka Cricket – SLC” it read. Rajapaksa’s retirement decision was believed to have been propelled by the new fitness guidelines for the Sri Lanka players. The 30-year-old had become a regular in the Sri Lanka setup before his public criticism of the board and differences with head coach Mickey Arthur following his omission from the team ran him into controversy. Resultantly, he was slapped a US$ 5000 fine before gradually making his way into the national team again.
