Kusal Mendis appointed Sri Lanka Test captain after Dhananjaya de Silva steps down

Kusal Mendis was named Sri Lanka’s new Test captain on Thursday after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down with immediate effect, the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee announced at a meeting held at SLC headquarters as the team prepares for its World Test Championship assignment against Pakistan.

Mendis, 31, has been a central figure in Sri Lanka’s batting line-up and has previously led the national side in limited-overs cricket; he has captained Sri Lanka in 22 ODIs and three T20Is but has never led the team in a Test match. Sri Lanka Cricket reinstated him as white-ball captain earlier in 2026. In 75 Tests Mendis has scored 4,836 runs at an average of 36.36, including 10 centuries and 23 fifties.

The appointment ends Dhananjaya de Silva’s spell as Test captain; he took over the role in February 2024, led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests and stepped down in October 2026. As captain his record stood at seven wins, eight defeats and three draws, and SLC said he will remain available for selection as a player.

The change of leadership followed a difficult period for Sri Lanka in the format, with the team losing two Test series in 2026 — 1-0 in the West Indies and 1-0 at home against India. On his decision to relinquish the captaincy de Silva said: “It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation.”

Mendis’s first Test assignment will be the two-match series against Pakistan that forms part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. The opener is scheduled for November 9-13 in Rawalpindi, with the second Test set for November 17-21 in Lahore, and Sri Lanka are already in Pakistan for a multi-format tour in which Mendis is leading the T20I side. The series opener will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 9.

The Rawalpindi Test will be Mendis’s first match as Sri Lanka’s Test captain.