Sri Lanka to appoint captains on a tour by tour basis: SLC

The captaincy was split after Angelo Mathews stepped down from the hot seat in July this year

Published - 29 Nov 2017, 18:39 IST | Updated - 29 Nov 2017, 18:39 IST

2 Min Read

We have heard about multiple captains in a cricket match, all thanks to former Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan. We have also come across different skippers for different formats policy but the Sri Lankan Cricket Board have gone a step ahead and announced that captains will be named on tour by tour basis. The Lankans are currently taking part in the ongoing Test series against India.

Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera has been named the captain of the visiting team for the limited overs series against India, which will kickstart at the conclusion of the Test series. Perera will lead the team in both the ODIs and T20Is.

Earlier, Upul Tharanga led the Sri Lankan side against the forgettable limited overs series against India earlier this year. The captaincy was split after Angelo Mathews stepped down from the hot seat in July this year. Since then, Dinesh Chandimal has been leading the side in the Test format.

The Lankans had a pathetic run this season as they suffered whitewash at the hands of South Africa, India and Pakistan this year, bringing their 2019 World Cup qualification under serious threat. Tharanga also found himself at the receiving end of the slow over rate.

Selectors had options

There were reports of offering the captain’s armband to Mathews, but his persistent injury hasn’t helped matters much while Dinesh Chandimal has struggled in limited overs cricket. On the other hand, India will also see certain changes as skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the limited overs series, in order to get some rest before travelling to South Africa.

Rohit Sharma will lead the side in ODIs and T20Is, while no deputy has been named as it is a home series. Some of the fans reacted to SLC’s decision of selecting captains by a tour-by-tour policy. Former Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene wasn’t highly impressed as he questioned the board on how can they have both consistency and continuity with such policies.