Kusal Mendis named Sri Lanka Test captain
Kusal Mendis takes over as Sri Lanka Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva steps down ahead of the Pakistan series.
Sri Lanka Cricket named Kusal Mendis as the new Test captain on Thursday after Dhananjaya de Silva resigned with immediate effect. De Silva led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests, winning seven, and said younger players should now take charge.
Mendis has captained Sri Lanka in 22 ODIs and three T20Is. He has played 75 Tests and scored 4,836 runs at an average of 36.36. Sri Lanka will play two Tests in Pakistan starting November 9 in Rawalpindi.
De Silva scored 1,130 runs at 36.45 as captain and took nine wickets. Sri Lanka have won only one of six World Test Championship matches under his tenure.
CricHubb Take
A captaincy change mid-cycle with no WTC pressure gives Mendis a low-stakes window to set the tone before the next cycle begins.