Dhananjaya de Silva named Sri Lanka's Test captain

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jan 4, 2024, 13:49 IST

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Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed Dhananjaya de Silva as the new captain of the Sri Lanka Test Cricket Team, following a disappointing performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The decision comes after Sri Lanka's ninth place finish with just two wins in nine matches. Upul Tharanga, the newly-appointed chairman of selectors, emphasized the need for three separate captains, with Kusal Mendis leading in ODIs and Wanindu Hasaranga in T20Is.

Dhananjaya de Silva named Sri Lanka's Test captain

Dhananjaya de Silva (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced Dhananjaya de Silva as the new captain of the Sri Lanka Test Cricket Team, succeeding Dimuth Karunaratne.
The decision comes after Sri Lanka's disappointing performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where they finished ninth with just two wins in nine matches.
Upul Tharanga, the newly-appointed chairman of selectors, addressed the media, highlighting the immediate concerns of fixing top-order inconsistencies and poor fielding that marred Sri Lanka's recent World Cup campaign.
Tharanga emphasized the need for three separate captains, with Kusal Mendis to lead in ODIs and Wanindu Hasaranga in T20Is.

Tharanga acknowledged the shortcomings in top-order batting and fielding, expressing the committee's determination to address the issues.
"All these players are not short of talent, but there is an obvious shortcoming where consistency is concerned, and we have already spoken with the coaches concerned regarding sorting out this problem," stated Tharanga.
Dhananjaya de Silva takes over the Test captaincy from Dimuth Karunaratne, who led Sri Lanka in 30 Tests, achieving 12 victories, 12 losses, and six draws. Karunaratne notably led Sri Lanka to a historic series win in South Africa in 2019.

Tharanga also mentioned the emphasis on the National Super League as a selection benchmark, aiming to identify and recognize promising players for national duty. Regarding team discipline and the recent misbehavior of ODI captain Kusal Mendis, Tharanga assured that the committee was addressing the matter seriously.
"We took into account that therefore, Mendis needed a fair chance to settle down to the job," Tharanga commented on Mendis' inconsistent batting performances in the World Cup.
Selector Indika de Saram emphasized the competition for spots, stating that regular players, especially batters, would face pressure to perform with promising prospects knocking on the door for national recognition. The selection committee aims to create healthy competition to improve team performance in all formats.
(With inputs from ANI)

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