Kusal Mendis appointed Sri Lanka's new Test captain

Sri Lanka have announced Kusal Mendis as their new Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from the position on Thursday, October 8. The decision on his appointment was taken by the Selection Committee at a meeting held at SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket) headquarters. 

Kusal has played 75 Tests for Sri Lanka and scored 4836 runs at an average of 36.36, with 10 hundreds and 23 fifties to his name. The 31-year-old hasn’t captained in Tests yet but has led the national side in 22 ODIs and three T20Is.

Kusal will also be leading Sri Lanka in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Pakistan, before his maiden Test assignment against the same opponent.

The two-match Test series begins on November 9 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, followed by the second Test beginning on November 17 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Dhananjaya's record as captain

Earlier, Dhananjaya stepped down from captaincy with immediate effect to pass the mantle to the next generation. He will continue to represent Sri Lanka as a player.

Dhananjaya took over the leadership in January 2024 from Dimuth Karunaratne and guided the team to seven victories from 18 Test matches, including series victories against Bangladesh and New Zealand.