Kalpage Head Coach for Sri Lanka U19 tour of UK

• Sri Lanka play England in three U19 ODIs and two Tests

Former Sri Lanka cricketer and emerging team coach Ruwan Kalpage has been appointed the head coach of the Sri Lanka Under19 cricket team for their six-match tour of England starting next month.

Kalpage’s appointment is only for this tour as he is a full-time Director of Cricket at the High Performance Centre at Khettarama, assisting Head of the High Performance Centre Jerome Jayaratne.

Since Jehan Mubarak’s contract as Under19 head coach expired at the end of the last U19 World Cup in South Africa in February, Sri Lanka Cricket has not appointed a successor to that post and said that they will advertise for it.

In the meantime, Kalpage with his vast experience as coach has been tasked to take the U19 team to the UK where Sri Lanka are due to play England in a three-match Under19 ODI series and a two-match Under19 Test series. The tour opens with a 50-over warm-up game on 25 June.

The Sri Lanka Under19 tour of England itinerary:

25 June: 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University

28 June: 1st U19 ODI at Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford (d/n)

1 July: 2nd U19 ODI at 1st Century County Ground, Hove

3 July: 3rd U19 ODI at 1st Century County Ground, Hove

8-11 July: 1st U19 Test at Wormsley

16-19 July: 2nd U19 Test at Cheltenham