5 best candidates to replace Angelo Mathews as Sri Lankan captain

Just two days back Sri Lanka Cricket announced that their captain Angelo Mathews has not yet recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered last month and will miss the T20 series in Australia.

After Mathews left the tour midway Dinesh Chandimal was made the captain for the remaining T20s and then Upul Tharanga was handed over the reins for the One-Day international series.

After the retirement of Kumar Sangakkara, Mathews has led the side from the front be it with his batting or the ball. But in recent times he has been getting injured a lot. Maybe the pressure of performing in all the three formats coupled with the weight of captaincy is proving to be a curse for him.

Though he is tipped to continue as Sri Lanka’s skipper till the 2019 World Cup, there are a few replacements too whom the board can look into.

#5 Dinesh Chandimal

At 27, Chandimal has quite a few years of cricket left in him still. He is a great batsman and has been one of the pillars of the Sri Lankan team in the last few years.

Though his recent form hasn’t been that good, giving him the captaincy permanently might help in raising his batting standards again. After Mathews left the T20 team locked at 1-1 against South Africa, Chandimal was quite good in the decider with his bowling changes and field placements as his side clinched it by 5 wickets. He is almost an automatic choice for the post when Mathews isn’t playing.

So far he has enjoyed success in Test and ODI, averaging 41.08 and 34.01 those formats respectively. And is now probably the most experienced man in the Lankan squad after Mathews, so it might just tempt the selectors to crown him the next skipper.

#4 Upul Tharanga

Though his Test career has never taken off, in ODIs he has had some illustrious company. As of 2017, only Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya had scored more than Tharanga's 13 one-day centuries which is quite brilliant in itself.

Now, Tharanga has been around since 2005 and who better to lead a Sri Lankan team than him, with all his experience. He has also been a part of the world events and therefore knows all about being at the biggest stages of them all.

Also, he was chosen as the captain in the One-Day series against South Africa so the selectors already have him in their heads. A few good performances while Mathews is away might help his cause too.

#3 Dhananjaya de Silva

He might have made his debut in July 2015 but Dhananjaya de Silva is quite a star now. The right-hand batsman and right-arm off break bowler is just 25 and has played only 29 matches for Sri Lanka.

The board can take a gamble with him like India did in 2007 by making MS Dhoni the captain. The ploy might just work as the top order willower is known to thrive under pressure.

Also, the added responsibilities might just bring the best out of him. For the man, it won’t be something new as he has led different sides in the U-17 and U-19 levels.

#2 Kusal Mendis

In a short span of time, Kusal has already made a name for himself in world cricket. He is just 22 and is being hailed as the future of Sri Lankan cricket.

He made his debut in October 2015 at Colombo and has gone on to cement a regular place in the side. Though he is promising cricketer he has just one international century so far to show for his success.

But the wicket-keeper batsman has great temperament and a cricketing mind. It won’t be easy pushing someone who is just 22 to lead the Lankan but then again he is worth the risk.

Also, his attacking mindset while batting might be a plus point for him and he can bring that to his captaincy given the chance. He has decent last few outings too and his confidence is high at the moment, so the selectors might just pick him.

#1 Nuwan Kulasekara

Though he gets picked for Test matches anymore, Kulasekara is a Sri Lankan star. The veteran fast bowler has featured in 180 One-Day internationals and has been a witness to the change in the country’s cricket over the years.

If the selectors do go for experience, Kulasekara would be a perfect choice. Now usually pacers are not picked for the top job, but then some one like a Wasim Akram had led Pakistan successfully over a period of time.

Also, you need experience to deal with a young side like Sri Lanka’s so though it is far fetched, Kulasekara might just get the nod ahead of everyone else.

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