COLOMBO, Dec 26: Leg-spinner Brian Murphy has become the latest Zimbabwe captain to relinquish the job when he opted to stand down for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting Thursday.

“I have hardly played any cricket for the last six weeks. I am not bowling well. In the best interest of the team I have decided to stand down from the Test,” Murphy said during a practice session Tuesday.

Murphy will be replaced by batsman Stuart Carlisle who led Zimbabwe during the one-day triangular series with Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Carlisle is Zimbabwe’s fifth captain since the 1999 World Cup with Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower and Heath Streak each resigning.

Murphy, 25, missed the one-day series while recovering from a fractured finger sustained during the first Test against Bangladesh last month.

He bowled 27 overs without success in the three-day warm-up match against a Board XI in Colombo last week, conceding 103 runs.

“Brian feels that he cannot give his 100 percent in the test and has taken a decision of his own to stand down. We hope he can regain his confidence and be available for the rest of the series,” said Carlisle.

Zimbabwe have named four fast bowlers and seven batsmen to face Sri Lanka in the first of three Tests. Their only slow bowlers on a dry pitch which will take spin are part-timers Grant Flower and Trevor Gripper.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, fresh from their maiden clean sweep over the West Indies, are confident of extending their dream run.

The hosts have won six of their past seven Tests at home since August, including a 2-1 win over India and a 3-0 whitewash against the West Indies. They also thrashed Bangladesh in the Asian Test Championship.

Zimbabwe face a dual threat of Muttiah Muralitharan’s off-spin and left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas’s controlled pace and reverse-swing in a Test that includes a rest day Sunday, which is a full moon day.

The government announced last month there would be a ban on sporting events on full moon days, which are important Buddhist holidays in this majority Buddhist nation.

The West Indies dismal showing against Sri Lanka was largely due to the devastating Muralitharan-Vaas combination, with only Brian Lara, who scored 688 runs in three matches, offering stout resistance.

Muralitharan was a mystery for the West Indies as he captured 24 wickets, including two successive hauls of 10 or more wickets.

Vaas grabbed 26 wickets, including 14 in the third and final match here, to help Sri Lanka complete their first sweep in Test cricket.

“I am pleased with the way the team has performed over the last six months. It is an indication we are on the right track,” Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore said recently.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s Sri Lankans are optimistic of maintaining their winning streak against Zimbabwe, who have been performing below par on their current tour.

The tourists have won just one of their four one-dayers in a triangular series, also featuring the West Indies, and then lost their only warm-up game against the Sri Lankan Board XI on Sunday.

“It would have been nice to go into the Test with a win or draw,” said Zimbabwean coach Geoff Marsh. “You learn every day in this game and there are things we learnt here that will hopefully help us in Test matches.”

Zimbabwe have yet to win a Test against Sri Lanka, losing five and drawing as many in their previous 10 meetings.

The tourists will look to experienced Flower brothers — Andy and Grant — to counter the Sri Lankan pace-spin combination. Left-handed Andy is one of the most innovative batsmen against spin in the world and has scored 4472 runs in 56 Tests.

Zimbabwe, who won a Test series in Bangladesh last month, will have to lift their performance immensely to stop their rivals from completing another sweep.

Teams (from):

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Hashan Tillekeratne, Chamara Silva, Thilan Samaraweera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Charitha Buddika, Prabath Nissanka, Niroshan Bandaratilleke.

Zimbabwe: Brian Murphy (captain), Hamilton Masakadza, Trevor Gripper, Stuart Carlisle, Grant Flower, Andy Flower, Craig Wishart, Gavin Rennie, Douglas Marillier, Heath Streak, Travis Friend, Gary Brent, Henry Olonga, Dion Ebrahim, Tatendra Taibu.—Reuters/AFP