Mahela Jayawardena resigns as consultant coach of Sri Lanka Cricket

Colombo: Former cricketer and consultant coach of the Sri Lanka senior men's team, Mahela Jayawardena has resigned from his position 'with immediate effect', the country's cricket board announced on Wednesday.

The news of Jayawardena's resignation comes within a few days of Sri Lanka's early exit from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. He was also the consultant coach of Sri Lanka men's Under-19 and the Sri Lanka A teams.

"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that Mr. Mahela Jayawardena, who served as the ‘Consultant Coach’ of the SLC, has tendered his resignation with immediate effect," said SLC in a press release.

Jayawardena, during his tenure, helped implement significant changes to the structure of the national team ecosystem and the High-Performance Center.

Sri Lanka Cricket expressed its gratitude towards Jayawardena for his invaluable contributions. In a statement, SLC highlighted the positive impact of his efforts on the national team's development and the overall cricketing infrastructure in Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka Cricket takes this opportunity to wish Mahela all the best in his future endeavours and thank him for the services he rendered during his tenure," the press release further added.

On December 13, 2021, Mahela Jayawardene was appointed consultant coach of the Sri Lanka men's senior team, as well as the men's Under-19 and the Sri Lanka A teams for one year, starting January 1, 2022.