Captains play an important role in the functioning of a team. They are the ones who take responsibility on behalf of the team and try to gel everything together. A captain's style of leadership can make or break a team; it all depends on his attitude and skills. In the following article, we will name some of Sri Lanka's longest-serving captains in one-day international cricket.
1. Arjuna Ranatunga
At number one, we have Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain and one of their most prominent leaders of all time. Arjuna first played for Sri Lanka in one-day cricket in 1982 and, until 1999, played in 269 matches. From 1988 to 1999, he captained the team in 193 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), winning 89, losing 95, tying one, and losing eight matches without a result.
2. Mahela Jayawardene
Mahela Jayawardene, the right-handed top-order batter for Sri Lanka from Colombo, is the second player on our list. Mahela began his one-day international career in 1998 against Zimbabwe at Colombo and, until 2015, went on to play 448 matches for Sri Lanka. He captained the team in 126 games, winning 68, losing 49, tying one, and losing eight. His win percentage as a captain was 58.05.
3. Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya, a dynamic left-handed opening batter and a brilliant slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Matara, is next to appear on our list. From 1989 to 2011, Sanath played in 445 ODIs for Sri Lanka and first captained the team in 1998. Until 2003, he was the captain of the team in 118 matches, out of which they won 66, lost 47, and tied two.
4. Angelo Mathews
Angelo Mathews, a right-handed batter, and a right-arm medium bowler from Colombo, is next to feature on our list. Mathews made his debut for Sri Lanka in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2008. From 2012 to 2018, he captained the one-day team in 106 matches and won 49 and lost 51 matches.
5. Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Atapattu, a right-handed opening batter from Kalutara, made his one-day debut in 1990 against India at Nagpur and, until 2007, went on to play 268 matches, scoring 8529 runs. From 2001 to 2006, he got the chance to captain the ODI team in 63 matches. The team won 35 and lost 27 matches under his leadership.
6. Duleep Mendis
Duleep Mendis was a right-handed middle-order wicketkeeper batter from Moratuwa who began his ODI career in 1975 against the West Indies. Until 1989, he played in 79 matches and scored over 1500 runs. From 1982 to 1987, he captained the team in 61 ODIs, out of which the team won 11 and lost 46 matches.
7. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara, one of Sri Lanka’s most successful wicketkeeper batters, is next to appear on our list. Sangakkara first got the opportunity to captain the Sri Lankan team in one-day cricket in 2009 and, until 2011, captained the team in 45 matches. Under his captaincy, the team won 27 and lost 14 matches for a win percentage of 65.85.
8. Tillakaratne Dilshan
At number eight, we have Tillakaratne Dilshan, a right-handed top-order batter, on our list. Dilshan captained the ODI team for the first time in 2010 and continued to captain the team in 26 matches until 2012, winning 11 and losing 15. He had a win percentage of 42.30 as a captain.
9. Upul Tharanga
Upul Tharanga was a left-handed opening batter for Sri Lanka who first got the opportunity to captain the Sri Lankan one-day side in 2016. Until 2017, Upul went on to captain the ODI team in 22 matches, out of which the team won four and lost 16, with two matches ending in no result.
10. Aravinda de Silva
Next on the list is Aravinda de Silva, a right-handed batter, and a part-time right-arm off break bowler from Colombo. In 1992, he captained the Sri Lankan ODI team for the first time and, until 1996, captained them in 18 matches. Under his captaincy, the team won only five games, lost 12, and one match ended in no result.
