Cricket-Sri Lanka name Mendis as test captain after de Silva steps down

​Kusal Mendis will take ​over as Sri ‌Lanka test ​captain after all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down, the country's cricket board said ‌on Thursday.

The 31-year-old Mendis, already the one-day and T20 skipper, has played 75 tests for Sri Lanka, scoring 4,836 runs at ‌an average of 36.36, including 10 centuries and 23 fifties. The ‌two-test series in Pakistan starting in Rawalpindi on November 9 will be Mendis' first assignment as test captain.

De Silva, 35, who will remain ⁠available ​for selection, succeeded ⁠Dimuth Karunaratne as test captain in January 2024 and led Sri Lanka ⁠in 18 tests, winning seven. "It's my genuine opinion that the mantle ​should go down to the next generation," de Silva said ⁠in a letter to the selection committee.

His resignation comes after a difficult ⁠year ​for Sri Lanka, who are seventh in the World Test Championship standings after losing a test series in ⁠the West Indies and suffering a home series defeat by India. De ⁠Silva has ⁠played for Sri Lanka in 69 tests and remains one of the side's most experienced players.