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Sri Lanka's most popular cricketer is now a lawmaker.
Former captain Arjuna Ranatunga polled more than 70,000 preference votes in Colombo to make it to Parliament as a candidate of the People's Alliance, officials said on Friday.
He finished second among his party candidates in the district after former minister A M Fowzie, but will have to sit on opposition benches, as his party lost the election to the United National Party.
"It's now my turn to show my appreciation for the steadfast support given to me by my country," the 37-year-old had said in his first media conference after taking the political plunge late in October.
"People love me. They know that I have given my best for the country and they have supported me throughout. They still expect something more from me. That's why I decided to join politics when there was an invitation," Ranatunga had said.
Ranatunga comes from a family of politicians. His father Reggie Ranatunga was a minister in the outgoing People's Alliance cabinet and his brother a council member in the Western Province.
Ranatunga's cricket career climaxed in 1996 when he led Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory, but his fortunes took a turn for the worse later when he was accused by Indian book-maker Mukesh Gupta of involvement in match fixing. He was exonerated following an inquiry earlier this year.
PTI
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