Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down as captain of the Test team on Thursday, ahead of selection for next month’s two-match series against Pakistan.

The 35-year-old middle-order batsman said he would be available for selection and remain with the team, but was giving up the captaincy with immediate effect.

“It’s my genuine opinion that the mantle should go down to the next generation,” de Silva said in a letter addressed to the selectors.

Sri Lanka will play two Tests in Pakistan, with the first starting in Rawalpindi on November 9 and the second beginning in Lahore on November 17.

Sri Lanka Cricket said it welcomed de Silva’s continued availability as a player and looked forward to his further contributions to the team.

De Silva has played 69 Tests since making his debut against Australia in 2016. He has scored 4,431 runs, taken 43 wickets and conceded 2,348 runs in the longest format of the game.

He has not been included in T20 and ODI teams since playing at home against England in January.