Sri Lanka, facing a challenging period in cricket, has found a reason for optimism with the appointment of Dhananjaya de Silva as the new Test captain, succeeding Dimuth Karunaratne. The decision was made by the recently appointed chief selector, Upul Tharanga, as the island nation seeks to rebuild its cricketing fortunes.
This development follows closely on the heels of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) designating separate captains for the white-ball formats, with Kusal Mendis leading the ODI team and Wanindu Hasaranga assuming the T20I captaincy. Dhananjaya de Silva, the 18th player to captain Sri Lanka in Tests, is set to take charge for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, commencing on February 6.
Dimuth Karunaratne, who led Sri Lanka in 30 Tests, winning 12, losing as many, and drawing six, stepped down from the captaincy, making way for Dhananjaya de Silva. Karunaratne’s captaincy tenure, which began in early 2019, witnessed notable achievements, including Sri Lanka’s historic Test series win in South Africa, a feat previously unaccomplished by any Asian team.
Despite facing challenges in Sri Lankan cricket, Karunaratne brought stability and calmness to the team during his captaincy. His batting performance also witnessed a significant improvement, with an average of 49.86 as captain compared to his overall Test average of 40.93. Recognizing his contributions, the ICC named him in the Test Team of the Year in 2018 and 2021.
Upul Tharanga expressed a preference for having the same captain across all three formats, but due to constraints, the selection committee opted for three separate skippers. Dhananjaya de Silva, with his experience in 51 Tests, scoring ten centuries and registering 13 fifties, is expected to bring leadership and cricketing prowess to the Sri Lankan Test team during this period of transition and rebuilding.
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