Kusal Mendis handed Test captaincy as well
ThePapareNews article
Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan 2026 – Kusal Mendis, who already leads Sri Lanka in both the T20I and ODI formats, has now been named captain of the Sri Lanka Test cricket team by the national selection committee.
Accordingly, Kusal Mendis is set to take the field as Sri Lanka's 19th Test cricket captain in the upcoming Test series in Pakistan. The first Test between the two nations is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi from November 9 to 13, while the 2nd Test will be held in Lahore from the 17th to the 21st of the same month.
Kusal Mendis, who made his Test debut against the touring West Indies side at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo in October 2015, has so far scored 4836 runs in 139 innings across 75 Test matches, including 10 centuries and 23 half-centuries. His best knock among them is the 245 he made against Ireland at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in 2023.
The 31-year-old Kusal Mendis has shown his quality as a batter in all three formats. He has played 159 ODIs, scoring 5160 runs with 7 centuries and 36 half-centuries, and in 109 T20Is he has made 2694 runs with 20 half-centuries.
Across these three formats Kusal Mendis has amassed 12 690 runs, while in 113 first-class matches he has scored 7569 runs with 19 centuries and 32 half-centuries.
Mendis, who also keeps wicket, has to date contributed to 125 dismissals in Tests, 118 dismissals in ODIs and 62 dismissals in T20Is.
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Based on ThePapare reporting