ANGELO MATHEWS REPLACEMENT

Sri Lanka appoint Dinesh Chandimal as Test captain; Tharanga to lead in ODIs, T20Is

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Dinesh Chandimal has featured in 36 Tests for Sri Lanka so far © Getty

Mathews addressed a press conference on Wednesday morning to announce his successors. "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 supercede 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."

Chandimal thanked Mathews and made a plea for the outgoing skipper to continue essaying a crucial role in the team for years to come.

"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," Chandimal said.

Chandimal, who made his Test debut six years ago in 2011, has featured 36 times in the longest format of the game and has 2540 runs at an average of 42.33. The 27-year-old has never led the team in Tests before, but has always been expected to be the future torch-bearer of Sri Lankan cricket, after the highly successful duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

The limited-overs skipper Tharanga has been around at the international circuit since 2005. He has scored over 6,212 runs at an average of 34.32 in ODIs, including a highest score of 174 not out - against India during the tri-nation series in the West Indies in 2013. Tharanga also made his T20I return against South Africa in January 2017, after a hiatus of nearly five years.

The pair will kick-start their leadership stints in the full home series against India, starting July 26.

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