Kusal Mendis Appointed Sri Lanka Test Captain

Kusal Mendis has been appointed the new captain of Sri Lanka’s Test team, replacing Dhananjaya de Silva, who stepped down from the role. Mendis’ first assignment as captain will be the two-Test series against Pakistan in November.

De Silva announced his decision to step down on Thursday morning, explaining that he wanted to hand over leadership responsibilities to the next generation. However, he remains available for selection as a player.

De Silva led Sri Lanka in 18 Test matches between February 2024 and August 2026. Under his leadership, the team recorded seven wins, eight defeats and three draws.

Although Mendis has never captained Sri Lanka in Test cricket before, he is one of the country’s most experienced international players. He has led the ODI team on several occasions over the years and was appointed the permanent captain across limited-overs formats in May this year.

Mendis first captained Sri Lanka in ODIs in October 2023. In 22 matches as captain in the format, Sri Lanka recorded 10 wins and 10 defeats.

His first stint as T20I captain came during Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies in June this year, when the visitors lost the series 2-1.

In Test cricket, Mendis has scored 4,836 runs in 75 matches, making him Sri Lanka’s 12th-highest run-scorer in the format.

With Sri Lanka almost certain to miss out on a top-two finish in the current World Test Championship cycle, Mendis will have an opportunity to settle into his new role before the next cycle begins.

De Silva’s departure comes after a challenging period for Sri Lanka’s Test team. The side lost both Test series played this year by 1-0 margins, first against the West Indies away from home and then against India in Sri Lanka.

One of the major challenges during De Silva’s tenure was the lack of regular Test cricket. After Sri Lanka secured a 1-0 home series victory against Bangladesh in June 2025, the team had no Test matches scheduled for the following 12 months.

Sri Lanka are also scheduled to play only 12 Tests in the current World Test Championship cycle, the minimum number allocated to a team. De Silva had repeatedly highlighted the difficulties created by such a limited schedule, particularly for players who specialise in Test cricket.