Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially announced Sanath Jayasuriya’s appointment as the head coach of the national team on their official website. The statement read, “ Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team.” They further added, “The decision was taken 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.”
Earlier, reports indicated that Jayasuriya is likely to have his contract extended for another year due to the team’s recent standout performances. Following a series win against India, a major highlight of his interim tenure was Sri Lanka’s victory over England in the Test match at The Oval. Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva expressed optimism about finalizing the extension, noting that negotiations are ongoing.
Jayasuriya took on the role of interim coach after Chris Silverwood stepped down following Sri Lanka’s disappointing group-stage exit in the 2024 T20 World Cup. His tenure began with a challenging 0-3 whitewash in the T20I series against India. Despite this rough start, Sri Lanka showed resilience by putting up a strong fight against the Men in Blue and ultimately achieving a 2-0 victory in the following ODI series.
In the Test series against England, Sri Lanka faced difficulties in the first two matches but made a strong comeback, securing a decisive win in the final Test. Asitha Fernando shone with his bowling, taking 17 wickets throughout the series, while Dhananjaya de Silva showcased impressive leadership on the field.
Upon returning home, Sri Lanka demonstrated their dominance in a two-Test series against New Zealand. They kicked off the series with a 63-run victory, followed by a commanding innings-and-154-run win, achieving a convincing 2-0 series sweep against Tim Southee’s side.
