The change of head coaching role for Sri Lanka’s men’s side has brightened up their cricket in the last few months. Sanath Jayasuriya, the former left-handed opening batter of the side, joined the team after their former head coach, Chris Silverwood, stepped down from the position.
The contract of Sanath Jayasuriya is likely to be extended for a year, following the success with the team in both the white and red-ball format of the game, as they got the better of the Indian side in the three-match ODI series with a 2-0 margin, despite of the presence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and all the other senior players in the opponent.
Under the captaincy of Dhananjaya de Silva, they won the final Test match of the three-match series against England at the Kennington Oval in South London before pocketing another massive series win over New Zealand with a 2-0 margin in Galle.
Sanath Jayasuriya to continue as Sri Lanka’s head coach for another year
The Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) had advertised the permanent head coach role after the exit of Silverwood in June, but at least two of the formats, ODI and Test side, have developed and showed signs of improvement under Sanath Jayasuriya. This has led to the process of bringing the veteran on a longer term.
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“We are in the final stages of negotiating the contract with him. Probably in the next two or three days, you will get to hear more.” The board CEO of SLC, Ashley de Silva, expressed in an interaction with ESPNcricinfo.
The 55-year-old was appointed as the cricket consultant for the board in one year in December last year, a role that would have mostly had the working with the High-Performance Centre. Later, he traveled also with the team to the Caribbean and the United States of America for the 2024 T20 World Cup and took the position of head coach.
Under him, the start wasn’t a great one for the Lankan side, as they lost the three-match T20I series against the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side. They also were defeated in the first two Test matches against England in Manchester and Lord’s.
Feedback always becomes a vital aspect of these situations, and the way he has handled and managed the younger and senior players on the side, all the feedback has been positive and promising. The former captain and one of the most experienced players of the team, Angelo Mathews, has been described as the turning point of the game.
“Sanath Jayasuriya was superb as cricket director and now as a coach. He communicates well and has given us a lot of freedom. We are all working towards one goal, and now everyone is on the same page.” The veteran noted during the presser at the end of the first day’s play. “He’s also done a superb job grooming the players. He has been amazing. I wish him all the very best.”
The 37-year-old also remarked how he has given confidence to the young and senior players in the side, having been slotted in the position of the head coach.
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“I think Sanath Jayasuriya taking over was (the turning point for Sri Lanka). He gave confidence when he was the cricket director, and now he has become the coach. Even though he gets nervous, he has given that confidence to all of us, and that makes a massive difference.” Angelo Matthews concluded.
There has been more stability during the ongoing assignment from the period when he had previously been the chief selector in two stints of the last decade.