Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board’s new selection committee has made a major overhaul in their team’s captaincy as Dasun Shanaka has been replaced as the leader in both the white-ball formats.
Kusal Mendis will captain Sri Lanka in ODIs, while Wanindu Hasaranga will lead in T20Is. Dimuth Karunaratne is also the captain of the Test side. This is the first time Sri Lanka has had three different captains in the three formats.
Shanaka first led the side in 2019 but became the regular captain in 2021. Under him, Sri Lanka won 23 out of 41 ODIs and 22 out of 48 T20Is. The highlight of his tenure was the 2022 T20 Asia Cup victory in the UAE where Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final.
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However, extremely poor performances in the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup proved to be the reason for his removal. This was despite ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia, and a T20I series win against India, all at home.
Shanaka’s poor form with the bat and ball played a role in his dismissal as captain as well.
Kusal Mendis is a former U19 captain and led Sri Lanka in the recent World Cup 2023, when Shanaka was also ruled out due to injury. Hasaranga, who is currently recovering from a hamstring surgery, had earlier this year led B-Love Kandy to their inaugural LPL title.
Charith Asalanka was named the vice-captain of both white-ball teams as the SLC committee announced the preliminary squads for the Zimbabwe series at home.
(SLC inputs)
