Sri Lanka have appointed wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis as the new Test captain, taking over the reins from Dhananjaya de Silva, who stepped down from captaincy on Thursday. Mendis’ first assignment as captain will be the upcoming two-match Test series in Pakistan, which will be played in November.
Mendis, who is one of the most vastly experienced Sri Lanka players, has never led the side in the longest format, but he is the incumbent captain of the side in T20Is and ODIs. He has played 75 Tests, 159 ODIs and 109 T20Is for the team.
According to Sri Lanka Cricket, the decision to appoint Kusal Mendis was taken by the Selection Committee at a meeting held on Thursday at SLC headquarters. On the other hand, Dhananjaya led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests since assuming the responsibility back in January 2024. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka won seven games while losing eight and drawing three. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are set to face Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday in Rawalpindi.