Dhananjaya de Silva Stays Test Captain, Mendis Takes White-Ball Role

Sri Lanka appoints Kusal Mendis as white-ball captain, while Dhananjaya de Silva retains Test captaincy. Learn about the leadership changes and upcoming West Indies tour.

Sri Lanka Cricket has named Kusal Mendis as the new white-ball captain for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, which includes three One Day Internationals (ODIs), three T20 Internationals (T20Is), and two Test matches. This move is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The Sri Lankan Cricket board has made these changes with the objective of improving the team's performance in limited-overs formats, particularly the ODIs, as a strategic preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup scheduled for over a year from now. This initiative aims to revive the team's standing, which was once considered one of the most formidable in ODIs, having reached consecutive World Cup finals in 2007 and 2011. The team is looking to achieve its first knockout stage appearance in the competition since 2015. The coaching staff includes former World Cup-winning head coach Gary Kirsten, who is expected to guide the team in its pursuit of past successes.

Dhananjaya de Silva has maintained his role as the Test captain and will lead Sri Lanka in the two Test matches against the West Indies, with expectations that he will continue in this position beyond the series. The decision to alter the white-ball leadership follows a series of unsatisfactory results. Dasun Shanaka, who captained the T20I side for five years, from 2021 up to December 2025 and through the 2026 T20 World Cup, has been removed from ODI and T20I captaincy. His tenure included winning the Asia Cup title in 2022 but concluded with inconsistent team performances and an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026. Sri Lanka's tour of the West Indies is set to commence on June 3, 2026, at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, with the ODI series. This will be followed by a T20I series at the same venue from June 12 to June 15, 2026. The tour will conclude with a two-match Test series held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.

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