Kusal Mendis
Mendis, 31, already leads Sri Lanka in ODIs and T20Is and will now take charge of the Test side as well. He has played 75 Tests for Sri Lanka, scoring 4,836 runs at an average of 36.36, including 10 centuries and 23 fifties. His first assignment as Test captain will be Sri Lanka’s two-Test series against Pakistan, starting in Rawalpindi on November 9.
Sri Lanka Cricket on Thursday appointed Kusal Mendis as the new Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from the position with immediate effect.
De Silva, 35, will remain available for selection. He took over as Sri Lanka’s Test captain from Dimuth Karunaratne in January 2024 and led the team in 18 Tests, winning seven of them.
“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” De Silva said in a letter to the selection committee. “Sri Lanka Cricket wishes him the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team,” said Silva.
During his tenure as captain, he scored 1,130 runs at an average of 36.45 and took nine wickets. Earlier reporting noted: The two-Test series in Pakistan starting in Rawalpindi on November 9 will be Mendis’ first assignment as Test captain. Earlier reporting noted: De Silva, 35, who will remain available for selection, succeeded Dimuth Karunaratne as Test captain in January 2024 and led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests, winning seven.
His decision comes after a difficult year for Sri Lanka, who are seventh in the World Test Championship standings after losing a Test series in the West Indies and suffering a home series defeat against India. Earlier reporting noted: Dhananjaya de Silva steps down as Sri Lanka’s Test captain; Kusal Mendis to succeed him Kusal Mendis will take over as Sri Lanka Test captain after all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down, the country’s cricket board said on Thursday.