Sanath Jayasuriya appointed full-time head coach of Sri Lanka cricket team

Hyderabad: Former Sri Lanka’s captain and opening batter Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as a full-time head coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Jayasuriya has signed a multi-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) until the 2026 T20 World Cup.

The southpaw was discharging his duties as an interim coach from July 2024 and after Sri Lanka’s impressive performances in the last few months, the board decided to offer him a full-time contract.

Jayasuriya replaced Chris Silverwood as the coach of the Sri Lanka team. Silverwood called it quits from his role after Sri Lanka’s dismal show in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in June this year where the team did not make it past the first round and failed to make it to the knockouts.

Under Jayasuriya’s tutelage, Sri Lanka won their first bilateral ODI series win over India in more than two and half decades, beat England in a Test match in England for the first time in a decade and recently beat New Zealand 2-0 in a two-match Test series.

Sri Lanka Cricket, in a statement, confirmed Jayasuriya’s appointment. “The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket made this decision taking into consideration the team’s good performances in the recent tours against India, England, and New Zealand, where Jayasuriya was in charge as the interim head coach,” the statement read.

It added that the 55-year-old’s contract commenced on October 1, 2024. “The appointment came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026.”

Jayasuriya scored more than 21,000 runs for Sri Lanka, across formats, and also picked up 440 international wickets. A fearless all-rounder, Jayasuriya was a force to reckon with in his heyday.

He has also served Sri Lanka cricket as a chief selector in the past.

His first series as the full-time head coach will be Sri Lanka vs West Indies ODIs that is scheduled to commence in Dambulla on October 13.