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Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s ODI captain, replacing Dimuth Karunaratne. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) were keen on grooming a new captain ahead of the 2023 World Cup and wanted to give opportunities and a good learning experience to young players.
“If the captain cannot find an automatic place in the playing XI on the merit of his performance, we are not keen on retaining him as captain. So we have weighed all options and ultimately it comes to Kusal Perera,” an official close to SLC recently said. Currently, Kusal Perera is a permanent middle-order batsman for Sri Lanka across all formats and has shown consistent batting performances in all 3 formats. The southpaw has played 101 ODI games, scoring 2,825 runs at a strike rate of 92.59.
Sri Lanka will be taking on Bangladesh in a 3-match ODI series from May 23, wherein the newly appointed captain, Kusal Perera is likely to make his captaincy debut.
Kusal Mendis likely to become vice-captain for ODIs
26-year-old Kusal Mendis is most probably being tipped to take up the responsibility of becoming the vice-captain for ODIs and a deputy to Perera. Kusal Mendis has captained the Sri Lankan national team in the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The top-order batsman has been a consistent performer for Sri Lanka over the last few years.