Chandimal appointed Sri Lanka Test captain; Tharanga to head in ODIs, T20Is

Colombo, July 12: Sri Lanka cricketer Dinesh Chandimal has been named the captain of the Test side while Upul Tharanga will be leading the ODI and T20I team after Angelo Mathews quit captaincy from all formats on Tuesday (July 11).

Mathews quits as Sri Lanka captain

Chandimal has been Sri Lanka's vice captain in Tests while lead the T20I team in the past. Tharanga, on the other hand, has led the team in the ODIs in Mathews' absence.

Chandimal, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, has played 36 Tests so far and scored 2540 runs and averaged 42.33. The right-handed batsman has also represented Sri Lanka in 128 ODIs and 48 T20Is.

After being given the responsibility Chandimal said he hoped to have Mathews around for a while yet, helping the team go forward as a player.

Chandimal was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying, "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."

32-year-old Tharanga has played 207 ODIs and aggregated 6212 runs, with 174* being his highest. The left-handed batsman has played only 16 T20Is in his career.

Mathews on Tuesday (July 11) stepped down as the captain after team's shambollic ODI series loss against minnows Zimbabwe.

Mathews conceded the shock defeat as a low point in his 187-match ODI career.

"This is a hard pill to swallow. I don't want to give any excuses...They played better cricket," Mathews was quoted by media reports as saying.

Zimbabwe notched their first win abroad in eight years after claiming the one-day international series against Sri Lanka 3-2, embarrassing a home side that has struggled with fitness, losses and coaching upheaval.

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