Lanka cricket star joins Rajapaksa's party

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s former cricket captain Tillakaratne Dilshan on Wednesday joined the political party of former leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, soon after his controversial government was voted out by the legislature.

Rajapaksa was named by the president as prime minister in October following the shock sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe. After several weeks of political wrangling in which Wickremesinghe refused to stand down, Rajapaksa was voted out in a no-confidence action.

Dilshan, 42, took membership in Rajapaksa’s newly-formed Sri Lanka People’s Front (SLPP) on the same day the national parliament defeated the former president in a landmark vote.

There was no immediate comment from Dilshan — who quit international cricket in 2016 — but the party posted a photo of him obtaining his membership from a senior politician.

Dilshan played 87 Tests, scored 5,492 runs and has taken 39 wickets giving away 1,711 runs. Several top Sri Lankan cricket stars have gone on to enter politics.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga was a cabinet minister in the Wickremesinghe’s government.