Fitness and Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s resignation

Sri Lankan cricket fans got a rude shock in the New Year when Bhanuka Rajapaksa, a vital cog in Sri Lanka’s white-ball plans, ‘resigned’ from Sri Lanka Cricket prematurely citing his inability to handle the “mental trauma of conforming to the challenges posed in the rules and regulations in being contracted to Sri Lanka Cricket”.

The other reason is familial obligations associated with fatherhood as the 30-year-old is expecting their first child. In a short parting letter, Rajapaksa did not explain the “challenges” but it’s understood to be SLC’s new fitness benchmarks for national cricketers.