Sanath Jayasuriya will be the Sri Lanka head coach until March 2026. (File)
Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the permanent coach of the Sri Lankan men’s national side on Monday.
Jayasuriya, who was holding an interim position as head coach, overlooked Sri Lanka’s recent series against India, England and New Zealand. While the Lankans endured a 2-1 Test series defeat in England and in the T20Is against India, Jayasuriya’s side stunned Rohit Sharma’s men in the 50-over format in August.
Sri Lanka also proceeded to blank New Zealand in the two-match Test series at Galle, improving their stand in the current World Test Championship cycle. Jayasuriya’s permanent role has come to effect from October 1 and runs until March 31, 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed.
“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,” SLC said in a post on X.
Jayasuriya stepped into the coaching role following the exit of Chris Silverwood after the T20 World Cup in the Americas.
In the 445 ODIs he played, the left-hander struck 13,430 runs at an average of 32.36, with 28 hundreds and 68 half centuries.
He was a key member of the Sri Lankan team that won 1996 ODI World Cup. He also served as Member of Parliament from 2010-15.
