Kusal Mendis Named Sri Lankas New Test Captain

Kusal Mendis has been appointed as the new captain of Sri Lanka’s Test team. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Thursday that Mendis would take over the captaincy after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from the role.

Mendis will begin his stint as national captain with the two-match Test series against Pakistan next month. The 31-year-old batter has never previously captained Sri Lanka at the international level.

Mendis made his Test debut against the West Indies in Colombo in 2015. He has so far played 75 Tests and scored 4,836 runs.

Meanwhile, Dhananjaya de Silva has confirmed that he will continue to make himself available for selection despite stepping down as captain. In a letter to the selectors, the 35-year-old all-rounder said he believed it was time to hand over the leadership to the next generation. However, he will remain with the team and continue to be available for selection.

Since making his Test debut against Australia in 2016, de Silva has played 69 Tests for Sri Lanka. During that period, he has scored 4,431 runs and taken 43 wickets.

De Silva has not been included in Sri Lanka’s T20 and ODI squads since the series against England in January this year.

Sri Lanka’s first Test against Pakistan will be played in Rawalpindi on November 9, followed by the second and final Test in Lahore from November 17.