Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva has officially resigned as Test captain, stating that the time is right for younger players to take charge of the team’s future.
Dhananjaya de Silva has officially stepped down as Sri Lanka’s Test captain on Thursday. The veteran cricketer said he was ready to pass on the responsibility to the younger generation.
Sri Lanka is coming off two Test series defeats to the West Indies at home and India in an away two-match series. With no chance of making it to the top two of the World Test Championship standings, the team will move forward to rebuild itself and establish itself in a higher rank in the next WTC cycle.
Dhananjaya de Silva steps down as Test captain
De Silva was appointed as Sri Lanka Test captain in January 2024 and has now relinquished the leadership role with immediate effect. The cricketer, however, remains available as a regular player for the Sri Lankan men’s national cricket team.
“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter addressed to Sri Lanka’s selection committee.
De Silva took the captaincy reins from Dimuth Karunaratne and has led Sri Lanka in 18 Test matches, having won seven games. As captain, he scored 1130 runs at an average of 36.45 and picked up nine wickets at a bowling average of 44.44.
More from FirstcricketSLC applauds De Silva’s contributions as captain
SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva welcomed the decision and wished the cricketer luck for the remainder of his career. He also hailed de Silva’s contributions as captain.
“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes [De Silva] the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team,” the SLC chief executive said in a statement
The SLC also welcomed De Silva’s “continued availability as a player.”
With De Silva no longer being the Test captain, Sri Lanka Cricket may hand the reins to Kusal Mendis, who is among the players the selectors may consider for Test captaincy.
Sri Lanka’s next Test assignment will be a two-match Test series against Pakistan, which will begin on November 9 in Rawalpindi.