Jayawardene steps down as T20 captain

Mahela Jayawardene resigned as Sri Lanka's Twenty20 captain today, but insisted it had nothing to do with the 36-run defeat to the West Indies in the World T20 final.

Mahela Jayawardene resigned as Sri Lanka's Twenty20 captain on Sunday, but insisted it had nothing to do with the 36-run defeat to the West Indies in the World T20 final.

"I had told the selectors before the tournament started that I won't captain in T20 and they needed to groom someone else for the future," Jayawardene told reporters after the final in Colombo.

Jayawardene, 35, will however continue as a player in the shortest format and will also lead in both Test and one-day cricket.

The accomplished batsman has scored 1,224 runs in 44 Twenty20 internationals at a strike rate of 133.77 per 100 balls.

The first world title for the West Indies since the 50-over World Cup triumph in 1979 also handed Sri Lanka their fourth defeat in a major final since 2007.

Sri Lanka have now lost two successive 50-over World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011 and two World Twenty20 finals in 2009 and 2012.