COLOMBO:
Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down as captain of the Test team on Thursday, ahead of selection for next month’s two-match series against Pakistan.
Kusal Mendis takes over from Dhananjaya de Silva as the new Test skipper of Sri Lanka. The decision on his appointment was taken by the Selection Committee at a meeting held today at SLC headquarters.
Kusal has featured for Sri Lanka in 75 Tests, with 4836 runs at an average of 36.36, with 10 hundreds and 23 fifties to his name.
Kusal hasn’t captained Sri Lanka in a Test match yet, but has led the senior side in 22 ODIs and three T20Is.
The 31-year-old will also be leading the white-ball sides in the upcoming series against Pakistan, preceding his first-assignment as a Test captain in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship series against the same opponent.
de Silva said he would be available for selection and remain with the team, but was giving up the captaincy with immediate effect.
“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter addressed to the selectors.
Sri Lanka will play two Tests in Pakistan, with the first starting in Rawalpindi on November 9 and the second beginning in Lahore on November 17.
Sri Lanka Cricket said it welcomed de Silva’s continued availability as a player and looked forward to his further contributions to the team.
De Silva has played 69 Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2016. He has scored 4,431 runs, taken 43 wickets and conceded 2,348 runs in the longest format of the game.
He has not been included in T20 and ODI teams since playing at home against England in January.
