COLOMBO: Sri Lanka recalled on Thursday head coach Chandika Hathurushingha ahead of a three-match Twenty20 series in South Africa amid reports of tensions with several players.

Sri Lanka play the first T20 against the hosts on Tuesday in Cape Town, but Hathurusingha will return home after the fifth and final ODI on Saturday, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said.

Despite reports about ructions within the Sri Lankan camp, the board said in a statement that the recall was to discuss the team’s preparations for the World Cup starting at the end of May in England and Wales.

“[Fielding coach] Steve Rixon will be the acting head coach of the national team during the T20 series in South Africa,” SLC said.

South Africa hold a 4-0 lead in the five-match ODI series, but the tourists won two Test matches last month.

Hathurusingha was stripped of his team selection responsibilities, in January, underscoring tensions within the team and its management.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2019