Dhananjaya de Silva Resigns as Sri Lanka Test Captain After 18 Matches

The 35‑year‑old finished his 18‑match captaincy with a record of 7 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws—an uneven run that saw the team slip to seventh in the World Test Championship.

In a letter to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board’s selection committee, de Silva announced he would step down as skipper, urging the next generation to take the mantle—"It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation," he wrote.

He made headlines early on: just his second Test in charge, he smashed twin centuries in Sylhet, steering Sri Lanka to a 328‑run triumph over Bangladesh. He added two more centuries in the stint and averaged 36.45 with the bat.

"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes him the very best for the remainder of his career and thanks him for the leadership he provided to our Test team," said SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, a nod to the veteran’s experience across 69 Tests.

With the captaincy vacancy now open, Sri Lanka’s next focus is the two‑match series against Pakistan, kicking off in Rawalpindi on November 9.