Dhananjaya de Silva steps down as Sri Lanka Test captain
Dhananjaya se Silva has repeatedly spoken about the significant challenges posed by a bare Test schedule • Associated Press
Dhananjaya de Silva has stepped down as Sri Lanka's Test captain citing a desire to hand over leadership "to the next generation". He remains available for selection, with Sri Lanka's next Test assignment the two-match series against Pakistan, set to begin on November 9 in Rawalpindi. No replacement has yet been named by the selectors yet.
With Sri Lanka almost certainly out of the running for a top-two finish in the current World Test Championship cycle, de Silva may also have seen sense in handing over the reins to allow the new leadership the chance to find their feet before the next cycle begins.
"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes [De Silva] the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team," SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva said in a statement, which also stated that SLC "welcomes his continued availability as a player".
The resignation came during a modest - though not quite disastrous - stretch for the Test side, which has lost both series this year 1-0, first in the West Indies, then at home against India. Overall, Sri Lanka's record under de Silva is seven wins, eight losses and three draws. De Silva's best year as captain was 2024 as the team recorded a 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, then produced a victory at The Oval (in a series they otherwise lost 2-1), before beating New Zealand 2-0 at home. There was, however, also a stretch of four consecutive defeats against South Africa (away) and Australia (at home), between late 2024 and early 2025.
But the most notable feature of Sri Lanka's Test cricket under his tenure was the infrequency of matches.
After Sri Lanka wrapped up a 1-0 home series victory against Bangladesh in June 2025, the team had no Tests on their schedule for a full 12 months. They are also currently in the midst of a WTC cycle that features just 12 Tests for them - the minimum number. De Silva has repeatedly spoken about the significant challenges posed by such a bare schedule, particularly for the Test specialists.
De Silva's resignation was part of a substantial wave of changes in the leadership and management of the men's teams. Earlier this year, Kusal Mendis was given the white-ball captaincy, replacing Charith Asalanka as leader. Mendis is among the players the selectors will consider for Test captaincy as well.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at Cricinfo. @afidelf
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