Sri Lanka rope in Sanath Jayasuriya as full-time head coach; Contract details revealed

Legendary cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya has officially been named as the full-time head coach of Sri Lanka’s men’s team, following a successful interim stint.

Sanath Jayasuriya, who took over as the interim coach of Sri Lanka national cricket team in July, will remain the head coach till the end of the 2026 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. His appointment as a permanent head coach has come as a result of excellent performance by the Sri Lankan cricket team recently.

Sri Lanka have been excellent under Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya has led Sri Lanka to some historic victories that have sparked a glimmer of hope for the new era of Sri Lankan cricket. Sri Lanka’s recent accolades include their first bilateral ODI series win against India since 1996, winning a test match on the English soil for the first time in ten years, and edging out New Zealand 2-0 in a home test series, giving them an outside chance of reaching the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board, impressed by Jayasuriya’s achievements during the interim period, made the decision to offer him the full-time role. “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,” the board stated.

Jayasuriya, who finds his place among the biggest Sri Lankan cricketing legends, is still very new to the coaching role. Despite being new to his current role, he has very quickly gained the confidence of the players as well as that of the board. Several cricketers have appreciated his approach and how Jayasuriya makes an atmosphere of freedom and confidence, which has worked pretty well for the team.

Before becoming the coach, Jayasuriya served the national team as the chief selector.  His second term was cut short by a two-year suspension from cricket handed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) forviolating its anti-corruption code; now, Jayasuriya has come back to the national team with a renewed role and will.

Jayasuriya will have his first test as a full-time head coach when Sri Lanka face West Indies in the upcoming limited-overs series. Under Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka has finally gained some form of momentum and whether they can continue their recent success remains to be seen.

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