Colombo, Jan 4 (IANS): Dhananjaya de Silva has been appointed as the captain of the Sri Lanka Test team, replacing Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief selector Upul Tharanga said.

When he leads, Dhananjaya will become the 18th cricketer to lead Sri Lanka in men’s Test matches.

Dhananjaya boasts an impressive record of 51 Test appearances, including ten centuries and 13 fifties. His first assignment kicks off with a one-off Test against Afghanistan on February 6.

Karunaratne, his predecessor, had led Sri Lanka in 30 Tests, winning 12, losing 12 and drawing six games from 2019 to 2023. In his first series as captain, in 2018/19, Karunaratne had famously become the first Asian captain to win a Test series in South Africa.

Sri Lanka will begin 2024 with a separate captain for every format. They have replaced Dasun Shanaka in both limited-overs formats and appointed Kusal Mendis as captain in ODIs and Wanindu Hasaranga in T20Is.

The Island will host Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in January. Of them, Afghanistan will play a Test match.