New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Sri Lanka Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, the all-rounder confirmed.
“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter he sent to Sri Lanka’s selection committee.
Meanwhile, the all-rounder confirmed that he remains available to represent the island nation as a player. Sri Lanka Cricket CEO, Ashley de Silva, wished his namesake well for the remainder of his career. “Sri Lanka Cricket wishes him the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team,” the SLC CEO said.
De Silva was appointed as the Test captain in January 2024, replacing Dimuth Karunaratne. He led the island nation in 18 Tests, helping them win seven of those matches.
As captain, de Silva made 1130 runs at an average of 36.45 and scored three centuries and seven half-centuries in those 18 matches. He also picked up nine wickets with a best innings haul of 2-13.
De Silva began his captaincy tenure with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in February 2024, which they won by 10 wickets. He also captained them for the 2-0 sweep of Bangladesh away from home.
The all-rounder helped Sri Lanka beat England at the Oval for their first Test win on English soil since 2014, although they lost the series 1-2. Sri Lanka also swept New Zealand at home 2-0 in another famous win under him.
However, Sri Lanka lost four Tests on the bounce in South Africa and Australia by the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. Sri Lanka lost to the West Indies 0-1 away from home and recently to India at home. His last series as captain was the 0-1 loss to India at home, as Sri Lanka saved the whitewash in Colombo on the back of a special Sonal Dinusha show.
–IANS
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