Dasun Shanaka will steer Sri Lanka’s T20 side through to next year’s World Cup after the new selection panel confirmed a change of captain on Friday. Charith Asalanka, who took over only after the 2024 tournament, keeps his place as a batter but relinquishes the armband for now.
Chief selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe said the decision was reached quickly. “We decided that Dasun Shanaka should be captain until the end of the World Cup, after talking to head coach Sanath Jayasuriya as well,” he explained. The previous committee, headed by Upul Tharanga, had already chosen a provisional 25. “The previous committee had chosen a list of 25 players. We spoke to Jerome Jayaratne, the head of the high performance, as well as Sanath Jayasuriya. We decided to announce that same 25 as a preliminary squad for the World Cup.”
Shanaka, 34 next spring, briefly filled in on last month’s tri-series tour of Pakistan when Asalanka flew home unwell. Although Sri Lanka sneaked into the final, they lost heavily to Pakistan and even slipped to an early defeat by Zimbabwe―results that exposed frailties rather than triggered panic. Wickramasinghe wants stability rather than a clean-out. “For now we’ve got to continue with what the previous committee was doing,” he said. “They had been following a plan. If I were to come in and change a lot of things, that would not be ideal. My plan is to keep this team together for the World Cup, and then see how best we can build after that.”
Why the switch, then? Form is the blunt answer. In 2025 Asalanka has managed only 156 runs from a dozen T20I knocks at a strike-rate of 122. Decent, yes, but not match-defining, and faltering returns have coincided with muddled finishing in the middle order. Shanaka, also an all-rounder, brings proven death-overs hitting and a knack for golden-arm overs. “We are looking at Dasun as an allrounder,” Wickramasinghe added. “We’ll have to talk to Sanath Jayasuriya and work out what is required of him.”
Leadership style also played a part. Team insiders feel Shanaka’s understated calm suits a squad dotted with rising names—Pathum Nissanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana—who benefit from a captain prepared to trust instinct. Yet selectors maintain Asalanka remains central to plans, not a scapegoat. One official put it simply: “He’s still starting at No.4 right now; we just want him batting without the extra clutter in his head.”
The squad itself features few surprises, though wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella marks a return after almost three years away from the white-ball setup. The panel felt a back-up gloveman with top-order experience was non-negotiable for a tournament spread across contrasting pitches in the USA and Caribbean. Left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka is included despite ankle niggles, while Wanindu Hasaranga’s wrist-spin remains the attack’s pivot.
Tactical questions linger. Can Sri Lanka plug the power-play leak that cost momentum last year? Will Shanaka bat as a finisher or float higher to accelerate earlier? Those answers will emerge in warm-up fixtures due in late April. For now, clarity over the leadership might be enough to steady dressing-room nerves.
Sri Lanka’s preliminary 25 for the World Cup:
Dasun Shanaka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Rathnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Traveen Mathew.
There is time yet for tinkering, but Sri Lanka have planted a clear flag: same squad, new skipper, no fuss.
