Mahela Jayawardene has said his poor form in recent one-day matches was a factor in his decision to resign as captain of Sri Lanka.
"I was not making runs according to the standards I had set myself," Jayawardene said in Colombo, a day after he announced his resignation. "I have been thinking about it for a while and it was the right decision made at the right time."
Jayawardene, 31, has made just one half-century in his last 17 ODI innings. His resignation came three days after Sri Lanka lost 4-1 to India in their home ODI series, and he said it was so that his successor could build a team for the 2011 World Cup. "This is the ideal time to leave my successor to make his own imprint," said Jayawardene.
It is not immediately clear who will succeed him but the obvious choice will be Kumar Sangakkara, the current vice-captain and a close personal friend of Jayawardene's. "There is an obvious successor to the throne," was all Jayawardene would say.