All-rounder Angelo Mathews has been appointed Sri Lanka's new Test and One-day captain for next month's home series against Bangladesh, selectors announced on Thursday. The 25-year-old replaced prolific batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after leading on a recent tour of Australia where Sri Lanka lost the Test series 3-0 and drew a one-day series 2-2.
Dinesh Chandimal, named Mathews's deputy in Tests and One-day internationals, will lead the side in T20 matches. Mathews and Chandimal will lead the teams until the end of January 2014, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement. Bangladesh will play two Tests, three One-dayers and a one-off T20 match. The Tests will be played in Galle (March 8-12) and Colombo (March 16-20), while Hambantota (March 23 and 25) and Pallekele (March 28) will host the limited overs games.
Mathews, with 1,668 runs in 31 Tests, has also scored 1,784 runs and taken 54 wickets in 90 One-day internationals. Jayawardene, with more than 10,000 runs both in Tests and One-dayers, led Sri Lanka to the finals of the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies in 2007 and then the World T20 at home last year.
The 20-man Test squad has six uncapped players - batsmen Ashen Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, seamer Dushmantha Chameera, spinners Tharindu Kaushal and Jeevan Mendis, and wicketkeeper-batsman Kushal Perera. Middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera and opener Tharanga Paranavitana, who toured Australia, were dropped while unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis returned to the Test squad. Mendis, who played his last Test in May 2011, has so far bagged 62 wickets in 16 matches. Kumar Sangakkara's participation in Tests is subject to recovery from an injury, according to the SLC statement.
Test squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dimuth Karunaratne, Ashen Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Kushal Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Chanaka Welegedara, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Tharindu Kaushal.