Tillakaratne retained as Sri Lankan captain

Hashan Tillakaratne has been retained as Sri Lanka's Test captain for the forthcoming series against Australia, despite widespread criticism of his attritional leadership style during the recent series win against England.

Meanwhile Marvan Atapattu, despite an ongoing investigation into the bizarre cash-in-the-bedroom affair, has been told that he will eventually take over the mantle from Tillakaratne. Atapattu was reappointed as the one-day captain for the tour.

A Sri Lanka Cricket media statement said: "Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports has approved the appointment of Mr. Hashan Tillakaratne as captain for the Test team and Marvan Atapattu as captain of the ODI team for the forthcoming Australia tour."

Tillakaratne, now 35, was accused of excessive negativity during the three-match series against England, which was eventually won 1-0, but could conceivably have been won 3-0 as England's tailenders hung on for tense draws in the first two Tests.

Atapattu, who was widely expected to take the leadership of both teams after the resignation of Sanath Jayasuriya in April 2003, has guided Sri Lanka to victory against West Indies and England in his last two ODI series.

Aravinda de Silva, now an influential selector, reassured Atapattu that his day would come: "Marvan knows that it is only a matter of time before he is handed over the Sri Lanka Test captaincy. He is aware of it and he has been told that he will be Hashan's [Tillakaratne] successor.

"We want to make the transition as easy as possible for Marvan and the best time to hand the captaincy over to him is when the team is performing well and when the batsmen are in good form. This way there will be no extra pressure on Marvan," added de Silva.

Australia are due to play five one-dayers and three Tests during a six-week tour that starts in mid-February. The last time Australia toured Sri Lanka, in September 1999, they were defeated 1-0 in a rain-hit series.