In 2024, Sri Lanka will have a new captain for every format following the announcement of Dhananjaya de Silva as the team’s new Test captain. The SLC statement comes after Kusal Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga were named captains of the ODI and T20I teams, respectively, not too long ago.
When Dhananjaya de Silva, 32, takes the team out for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, he will become the 18th different player to captain Sri Lanka in men’s Test cricket. Dimuth Karunaratne, who captained the team in 30 Test matches between 2019 and 2023 and finished with a 12-12-6 win-loss-draw record, steps down and he takes over as captain.
While the squad’s subsequent successes were less spectacular, Karunaratne’s historic, against-all-odds series victory in South Africa marked the start of his captaincy. During a turbulent time for the nation’s cricket, he instilled calmness in the team. Karunaratne, a batter, was able to achieve a batting average of over 50, which was significantly higher than his lifetime average of 40.93, because to his leadership.
Dhananjaya de Silva, who succeeded him, has always been a part of the team. He has scored 3301 runs at an average little under 40 in his 51 Tests to far.
Chief selector Upul Tharanga stated, “I would have preferred to have the same captain for all three formats, but with the players we have right now, we are unable to do that.”
