We are back with another team and its 5 most successful captains and in this article we will be talking about Sri Lanka as they also have a very rich history or having great captains who have served Sri Lanka cricket well for a number of years. Like in all the other articles we will give preference to the captains who have captained in both Tests and ODIs. This list will be a fascinating read for all our readers as well.
Before we get into the list I just want to say that it is sad to see the state that Sri Lanka cricket is in these past few years after all their great players retired and hopefully they will come together as a group because world cricket needs Sri Lanka to be a strong team and they should not rest on their past glory for too long. So, with that being said let’s get into this list.
Arjuna Ranatunga – 12 Test Wins and 89 ODI Wins as captain
The number 1 In this list also is no doubt as to who it is as it is the greatest Sri Lankan captain in Arjuna Ranatunga. He has been the leader that guided Sri Lankan cricket to its greatest era in their cricket. He was captain of Sri Lanka for 52 Test Matches and he won 12 out of those matches. In ODIs he was captain for 193 ODIs and he won 89 off those including leading Sri Lanka to the 1996 ODI World Cup. He has total match wins of 101 as the captain of Sri Lanka.
Mahela Jayawardene – 18 Test Wins and 71 ODI Wins as captain
At number 2 by just a few more wins is Mahela Jayawardene who has led Sri Lanka for a number of years and did it very well. He was the captain of the test team of Sri Lanka did 38 Test Matches and he won 18 out of those and he was also ODI captain of Sri Lanka for 129 ODIs out of which he won 71 ODIs which is just a few more than the number 3 which we will talk about below. Mahela Jayawardene was also one of the best batters in the team who got the bulk of the runs for his nation. He had a total of 89 Match Wins as captain of Sri Lanka.
Sanath Jayasuriya – 18 Test Wins and 66 ODI Wins
At number 3 by just 5 Matches less won is another all time great Sri Lankan player who other than being one of the most destructive openers was also a bowler who took a lot of wickets and so him as captain inspired the other teammates to step up. Sanath Jayasuriya was test captain for 38 Test Matches and he won 18 Test Matches and in the 118 ODIs he was captain of Sri Lanka he won 66 ODIs which gives him a total of 84 Total Match wins as captain of Sri Lanka.
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Angelo Mathews – 13 Test Wins and 49 ODI Wins as captain
At number 4 is the best modern captain for Sri Lanka who tried his best to lead Sri Lanka and make them the best team that they could be. Recently he completed 100 Test Matches for Sri Lanka and he deserves all the credit he gets. Angelo was captain of Sri Lanka for 34 Test Matches and he won 13 Matches out of those and in the 106 ODIs he was captain of Sri Lanka he won 49 ODIs which gives him total wins as Sri Lankan captain at 62 Match Wins.
Marvan Atapattu – 35 ODI Wins as captain
At number 5 is the great Marvan Atapattu who captained Sri Lanka in ODIs and he was one of the best ODI captains in Sri Lanka cricket. He was captain of Sri Lanka in ODIs for 63 Matches and he won 35 Matches out of those giving him a win % of 56.45. He made a very good ODI team which reached the final of the 2007 World Cup as well. One of the great limited overs captains.
