Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews has handed over a letter to the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) addressing the decision to dismiss him as the Captain of the ODI Captain.

Sri Lanka’s selectors removed Angelo Mathews as ODI captain, last night (23) and appointed Test captain Dinesh Chandimal in his place. The move comes after Mathews attracted a hail of public criticism over the team’s performance in the Asia Cup, where they were knocked out following first-round defeats to Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Following the announcement, Angelo Mathews has officially resigned from the captaincy f the ODI team through his letter to SLC. In the letter, Mathews expresses that he “initially surprised” by the decision but then made it feel he had been made “the scapegoat in the entire saga of Sri Lanka’s dismissals performances against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup”.

“I’m willing to take part of the blame but at the same time, feel betrayed and let down if the blame is solely put on me. As you know all decisions are taken tough the a mutual understanding with Selectors and the Head Coach,” wrote Mathews. “And though I do not agree with the reasoning that the losses should be carried single handedly to the Captaincy, I however eagerly and wholeheartedly respect the request of the selection committee and the head coach asking me to step down and do so with immediate effect.

“I wish to put it on record that though Sri Lanka had suffered these heavy defeats in the Asia Cup, which is shocking to say the least, especially in the backdrop where we had a reasonable series against South Africa, I had no intention of quitting and running away from the issues at hand especially owing to the World Cup being a dozen games away.”

Mathews went on to ask the selectors whether the find him suitable for the ODI and T20I teams, in which case he would retire from these two formats. He also added that he was Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in the home series versus South Africa this summer, while wishing the team all the best.