Brutal Murder: Srilankan Cricketer Dhananjaya father killed

Sri Lanka, May 25: In a brutal incident, The father of Sri Lankan cricket all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on the eve of the national team's departure to the West Indies on Friday.

The player's father Ranjan, a local politician, was gunned down in Ratmalana, a suburb of the capital Colombo, close to midnight on Thursday, police said. An investigation is underway but no arrests have been made.

Cricket officials said 26-year-old de Silva withdrew from the tour that involves three Test matches. However, there was no official word from the Sri Lankan cricket board on who will replace de Silva.

Sri Lanka will also miss opener Dimuth Karunaratne who fractured a finger while batting in the nets earlier this month as he prepared for a limited-overs domestic tournament.