Dhananjaya de Silva replaces Dimuth Karunaratne as Sri Lanka Test captain

Karunaratne won 12 of his 30 Tests in charge after being appointed in place of Dinesh Chandimal in 2019

Nick Friend | 04/01/2024 at 14:16

Dimuth Karunaratne has taken to social media to confirm that he has been replaced by Dhananjaya de Silva as Sri Lanka's Test captain.

Karunaratne won 12 of his 30 Tests in charge after being appointed in place of Dinesh Chandimal in 2019. He began with a 2-0 win in South Africa most famous for Kusal Perera's remarkable unbeaten 153 in the first Test of the series.

Thereafter, Sri Lanka won as many as they lost in the longest format under Karunaratne, with 12 defeats and six draws also to his name.

"Cricket fans world over, as I finally hand over the reins of the SL Test captaincy after a decent and memorable stint, who better other than to you Dhananjaya De Silva, an excellent all round athlete in my books," he wrote on Facebook.

"Dhana, I've watched you grow and develop into a very matured and fantastic cricketer over the years... Smart, ice cool and a very shrewd cricket brain, I may add more so your own style you adapt and also that very famous smile you always wear every time on and off the field.

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^{Dhananjaya has replaced Karunaratne as Test captain (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)}

"I am very confident SL Test cricket is in very safe hands and will be going forward through your tenure as skipper."

He added: "I'll be there to support you on and off the field rest assured."

Dhananjaya, who has played 51 Tests, will become Sri Lanka's 18th captain in the format. He has never led Sri Lanka at senior level.

His appointment follows further captaincy changes in white-ball cricket, with Dasun Shanaka replaced by Kusal Mendis as ODI skipper, while Wanindu Hasaranga has taken the reins of the T20I side.