Chris Silverwood resigns as Sri Lankan cricket team’s head coach after ICC T20 World Cup 2024 exit

Chris Silverwood resigns as Sri Lankan cricket team’s head coach after ICC T20 World Cup 2024 exit
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Chris Silverwood resigns as Sri Lankan cricket team’s head coach after ICC T20 World Cup 2024 exit

Highlights

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s consultant coach, Mahela Jayawardene, resigned from his post after a poor show in the T20 World Cup

Just a day after Sri Lankan cricket team’s consultant coach, Mahela Jayawardene, resigned, head coach Chris Silverwood followed suit on Thursday.

The resignations come in the wake of Sri Lanka’s poor performance in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where the team failed to make it to the Super Eight stage after having an under-par first round.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) accepted Silverwood’s resignation after the head coach said he was calling it quits after spending a lot of time away from his family.

Silverwood, in a statement to the board and the media, said he took the decision after consulting his family. “Being an international coach means long periods away from loved ones. After lengthy conversations with my family and with a heavy heart, I feel it is now time for me to return home and spend some quality time together,” Silverwood said.

He added that it was an honour to be part of Sri Lanka cricket and that he will cherish the good memories. “I would like to thank the players, coaches, backroom staff, and management of the SLC for their support during my time in Sri Lanka. Without your support, none of the success would have been possible. It has been a real honour for me to be part of Sri Lanka Cricket and I will be taking away many fond memories,” he added.

Silverwood guided Sri Lanka to the T20 Asia Cup title in 2022 and they finished runners-up in the 2023 ODI edition of the Asia Cup. The team also won several bilateral series under Silverwood’s tutelage, both at home and away. The biggest win Sri Lanka achieved under Silverwood is the home series win against Australia in the 50-overs format and two away Test series wins against Bangladesh.

However, they were not able to replicate any success in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, where they were ousted in the first round. Under captain Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka won only one match out of the three that they played in the group stage.

They started with a six-wicket loss to South Africa and then lost to Bangladesh by two wickets. Their third match against Nepal was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rains and floods in Florida, effectively ending their World Cup campaign.

A consolation win against the Netherlands by 83 runs ended their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.

Sri Lanka will host India for a white-ball series next before they go on a red-ball tour to England.

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