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Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as men’s team’s head for two years. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced his appointment as head coach after the cleansweep in two-Test series against New Zealand at home. He will remain as head coach till T20 World Cup 2026 which will be hosted in Sri Lanka and India.
“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,” said SLC in a statement on October 7.
“The appointment came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026.”
Jayasuriya took over as interim head coach after Chris Silverwood resigned from the post in June. Sri Lanka were knocked out of T20 World Cup 2024 at league stage.
How Sri Lanka have fared since Jayasuriya took over
Since Jayasuriya took over Sri Lanka lost the T20I series at home against India but beat the Rohit Sharma-led side 2-0 in the ODI series. Then, they headed to England for the three-Test series. They lost the first two Tests but beat Ollie Pope-led England in the third Test scripting history.
At home, Sri Lanka hosted New Zealand. Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka beat Tim Southee-led New Zealand 2-0. This is their first Test series win against World Test Championship (WTC) 2019-21 champions since 2009.
Sri Lanka in hunt for WTC final spot
Sri Lanka are currently alive in the WTC 2023-25 final race. They are placed third win five wins from nine Tests. They have a win percentage of 55.56.
Starting next week, Sri Lanka will host West Indies for three T20Is and as many ODIs. Sri Lanka will not play in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as they finished ninth in ODI World Cup 2023.
The limited overs series at home will be followed by the tour of South Africa. The two-Test series starting toward the end of November will decide whether Sri Lanka will remain in hunt for their maiden WTC final spot.
