Sri Lanka cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva quits WI tour after father's murder

The father of Sri Lankan allrounder cricketer Dhananjaya de Silva was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Thursday on the eve of the national team's departure to the West Indies, says police officials.

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

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

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

(With inputs from agencies)