• Source:JND
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Sri Lanka will now have three different captains across formats as Dasun Shanaka's reign as white-ball captain came to an end with the new selection committee appointing new captains of the ODI and T20I sides, respectively.

The star wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis will be leading the ODI side whereas all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been appointed as the T20I skipper.

With Dimuth Karunaratne already the skipper of the Test side, this is the first time that the Sri Lankan team will have three different captains.

Sri Lanka named the preliminary squads for the home series against Zimbabwe with star batter Charith Asalanka appointed as the vice-captain across both formats.

"Sri Lanka Cricket announced the preliminary squads for the Zimbabwe Tour of Sri Lanka 2024. ODIs Captain: Kusal Mendis Vice Captain: Charith Asalanka T20Is Captain: Wanindu Hasaranga Vice Captain: Charith Asalanka," tweeted SLC.

"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the following preliminary squads selected by the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee, focusing on the Zimbabwe Tour of Sri Lanka. The final squads for both the ODI and T20I squads will be selected out of the below-given preliminary squads," said a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

The three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe is set to begin on January 6 and will run till January 11 whereas the three-match T20I series is scheduled from January 14-18.

Talking about captaincy, Shanaka first captained Sri Lanka in 2019 on the Pakistan tour but was made the regular captain in 2021. Under him, Sri Lanka won 23 out of 41 ODIs and 22 out of 48 T20Is.

Under his leadership, the most prominent achievement of the Sri Lankan team was their 2022 T20 Asia Cup victory in the UAE where they defeated Pakistan in the final.

The ODI series wins against South Africa and Australia, and a T20I series win against India at home were a few major highlights as well.

However, the team displayed a poor show under his captaincy in major tournaments like the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup.

It was Shanaka's poor form with the bat that was the major reason for his downfall as the captain, especially in the ODI format.

On the other hand, both Mendis and Hasaranga have had recent experiences in leadership roles as the former is a former Under-19 captain and the current skipper of Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League.

Mendis also took over the captaincy role midway through the 2023 ODI World Cup after Shanaka was ruled out due to injury.

Hasaranga, who is currently recovering from a hamstring surgery, had earlier this year led B-Love Kandy to their inaugural LPL title.

Meanwhile, Shanaka will still have the role in Sri Lanka's white-ball set-ups, having been named in the preliminary squads for the series against Zimbabwe.


Preliminary ODI squad: Kusal Mendis (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Gunasekera.

Preliminary T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Pathum Nissanaka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Janith Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana.

 

Fixtures:

1st ODI: January 6, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

2nd ODI: January 8, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

3rd ODI: January 11, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

1st T20I: January 14, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

2nd T20I: January 16, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

3rd T20I: January 18, 2024, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.