Sri Lanka announce two new captains

Middle-order batsman Dinesh Chandimal has been named as the new Test captain of Sri Lanka while Upul Tharanga will lead the side in the ODI and T20I formats. They replace former skipper Angelo Matthews, who had resigned from the position following Sri Lanka’s humiliating series loss to Zimbabwe.

Chandimal is a regular in the Lankan side but he was dropped for the Zimbabwe series. In 36 Test matches, the 27-year-old has scored 2540 runs at an average of 42.33 with eight centuries to his name. He was Lanka’s highest run-getter in ODIs in 2016 but had a slump in form and failed to get going at the Champions Trophy.

Being one of the senior members of the team, Tharanga’s appointment as the captain for the limited overs formats does not really come as a surprise. The 32-year-old has featured in 207 ODI matches amassing 6212 runs at an average of 34.32.

Matthews, Chandimal speak at press conference

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mathews said, “Yes, there have been significant poor performances, and I’m humble enough to accept it. In the past also there were instances where I wanted to step down but I didn’t want to let the team down at that time, mainly because there were no replacements. The team’s interests supersede the individuals.”

“Now there are candidates to take over, and I’m sure they will be more successful than me. I also wanted to give my successor time to build a team for the 2019 World Cup,” he added.

Previously, Matthews had termed the series loss to Zimbabwe as “one of the lowest points of my career” and stepped down as the captain of the Lanka team. In what came as a surprise to cricket fans over the world, Zimbabwe fought in an inspiring manner against Sri Lanka and won the five-match ODI series 3-2.

Chandimal thanked Mathews in his statement as he said, “I’m very thankful to the job that Angie [Mathews] has done for us. Captaincy is not an easy job. He’s a match-winner for us, and I have huge hopes that he will continue to be one in the coming years as well.”