Sri Lanka Cricket Board Appoints Separate Captains for Test, ODI, and T20I Formats
Three distinct captains were announced by the Sri Lanka cricket selectors on Wednesday, one for each format of the game – Test, ODI, and T20I sides ahead of tours by Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
Dhananjaya de Silva, aged 32, has been appointed as the captain of the Test team, while Kusal Mendis, aged 28, will take charge of the ODI team. As for the Twenty20 squad, Wanidu Hasaranga, aged 26, will assume the role of captain.
For the first time, Sri Lanka will have different captains for each of the three formats.
“I would have preferred to have the same captain for all three formats,” chief selector Upul Tharanga told reporters in Colombo.
“But we are unable to do that at the moment with the players we have.”
Sri Lanka Cricket has officially announced that Dhanajaya de Silva has been appointed as the new Test captain for Sri Lanka. De Silva will be taking over the leadership role from Dimuth Karunaratne in the longest format of the game. Karunaratne has been serving as the Test captain since 2019, leading the team in 30 Test matches.
During his tenure, Sri Lanka achieved a total of 12 victories and 12 defeats. Dhananjaya de Silva, who has played 51 Test matches, possesses a wealth of experience. He has consistently performed as an all-rounder for the team, boasting ten centuries and thirteen half-centuries.
In a recent development, Sri Lanka decided to appoint Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga as captains for ODIs and T20Is respectively. Dhananjaya de Silva has now become the 18th player to lead the Sri Lankan side in Test matches.
Mendis has been chosen by the selectors to remain in the team until the upcoming ODI World Cup in 2027, as confirmed by Tharanga. This decision was made despite their team finishing second from the bottom in the previous year’s tournament held in India.
Mendis assumed the role following Dasun Shanaka’s last-minute withdrawal due to injury, and Tharanga stated that Shanaka was not considered for the captaincy due to performance concerns spanning the last two years.
Hasaranga has been appointed as the captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to commence in June in the West Indies and United States.
Wanindu Hasaranga, the talented all-rounder from Sri Lanka, is poised to make his highly anticipated comeback to the national team. Sri Lanka has recently announced their preliminary squads for the forthcoming T20I and ODI series against Zimbabwe, which will commence on the 6th of January.
In the T20Is, Hasaranga will assume the role of captain, while Charith Asalanka has been appointed as his vice-captain. As for the ODIs, Kusal Mendis will lead the Sri Lankan team, with Asalanka serving as his deputy in both formats.
Hasaranga has been sidelined since August following an injury he suffered during the Lanka Premier League. He was unable to participate in crucial tournaments such as the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup 2023. Currently, Sri Lanka is scheduled to face Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series and an equal number of ODI series.
The announcement of the latest selection was made prior to the commencement of the white ball series against Zimbabwe, scheduled to begin on Saturday. Subsequently, Sri Lanka will be hosting Afghanistan for a series of three T20s, three ODIs, and one Test match.
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