Who will be the next Sri Lankan Captain?

Who will be the next Sri Lankan captain?

Kumar Sangakkara made a remarkable note in Sri Lankan cricket history when he decided to step down from his captaincy after the 2011 World Cup.  Nobody wants him to do so.  Unlike some skippers from other countries ,he refuse to hold the captaincy after a successful, but not victorious World Cup tournament.

The whole world admits that he is the best captain today.  Not surprisingly, he was awarded the Best World Cup XI's Captain. The way he led his team is really appreciated and his responsibilities didn't restrict him from performing well.  It's amazing how he bore the bulk of the burden on his shoulders and how he played the most important role when we most needed.

Despite being the best captain in the world, Sangakkara wants Sri Lankan cricket to find a new captain as a long term investment for the 2015 World Cup.  He could have thought just about the near future but he was brave enough to think further. The World Cup will be the main target for any cricketing nation. Thus he has taken this decision and he will play his part as the wicket-keeper batsman until he retires.

And now, we are in trouble. We have to choose the next skipper. It should be carefully considered decision as it will affect Sri Lankan cricket for many years. The newly appointed captain should lead our team to the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015. So young blood is essential but experience should be considered too. The young talented all-rounder, Angelo Mathews, is less experienced than T.M. Dilshan who has been playing for the national team for years. But Dilshan shares Sanga's age, which will be 38 by then. So there is no point of Sanga’s resigning if Dilshan is to be appointed.  Then we have to risk if we expose young Mathews as the captain. Fortunately, he has the experience of under-19 captaincy under his belt and the way he played under pressure in recent times, proved that he is suitable for that position.  

No matter who comes to the post of the captaincy, Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena will help him to settle into the leadership. He, who becomes the skipper, should be obviously blessed with two of world's best captains, Mahela(2007) & Sangakkra(2011). Sangakkara resigns as one of the best captains in the history and leaves us with a great decision for the future captaincy.