COLOMBO: Upul Tharanga, Sri Lanka’s chief Selector, has officially announced Dhananjaya de Silva as the successor to Dimuth Karunaratne in the role of Test captain. This designation makes de Silva the 18th player from Sri Lanka to take charge in Tests. Karunaratne led for 30 Tests, with a record of 12 wins, 12 losses, and six draws. Notably, his leadership saw Sri Lanka’s remarkable series victory in South Africa in 2019, marking them as the first Asian team to achieve this feat and only the third in history.
Karunaratne assumed leadership during a turbulent phase in Sri Lankan cricket, bringing stability to the team. Despite mixed results, his captaincy coincided with his peak performance as a batter, boasting an average of 49.86, significantly higher than his career average of 40.93. Under his tenure, he ascended to the top of the Test batting rankings, providing solidity at the top order for Sri Lanka.
The incoming captain, Dhananjaya, has been a consistent presence in the national side, featuring in 51 Tests and securing ten centuries and 13 fifties. His initial challenge as captain will be the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting on February 6.
This shift in captaincy marks the third recent change for Sri Lanka, with Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga assuming leadership roles in the ODI and T20I teams, respectively.
