SLC appoints Sanath Jayasuriya as full-time head coach till 2026

Newly appointed Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya addresses the media 

in the presence of SLC CEO Ashley de Silva

• “I don’t have any favourites; I am impartial and independent” – Jayasuriya
• “It’s something I never expected in my whole life. There are no words for me to express my happiness”
• “Any local coach coming after me will not be able to fulfil what is required if I don’t set an example”

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday announced that they have appointed former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team from 1 October till 31 March 2026, which is till the next T20 World Cup which Sri Lanka will jointly host with India.

While making the appointment SLC stated that, “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’.”

Expounding the reasons why SLC chose Jayasuriya for the head coach’s position, CEO Ashley de Silva said, “We advertised for the position and a lot of people showed interest. Due to the fact that there are a lot of leagues being played all over the world most of the good coaches were involved. Some of them showed interest but didn’t want to come on a full-time basis but there were a few who wanted to. However, we delayed the recruitment mainly due to the fact that after we first offered Sanath the job, he started to show some results in the first two tours. We thought the best thing was for us to go with a local coach. That was the main reason why we delayed the recruitment. After three successful series, where the results were positive and Sanath also managed to get support from former cricketers as well, we thought that he is the best person who could take Sri Lanka cricket forward. That is the reason he has been offered a position till March 2026.”

Although he did not disclose any figures, De Silva stated that the package Jayasuriya has been offered is similar to that of a foreign coach. 

“When it comes to coaching each coach has his value. We went into a lengthy discussion before we went into an agreement,” said De Silva. “He wanted to know what we could offer him. There is no discrimination at all. I cannot say whether it is higher or lower. That is something which we don’t want to disclose, and which is very confidential.”

Jayasuriya fills the vacancy created by Chris Silverwood who stepped down as head coach following Sri Lanka’s dismal performance at the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.

At a meeting with the media at the SLC headquarters yesterday a beaming Jayasuriya said, “It’s something which I never expected in my whole life. I am very happy to get it. I must thank SLC for giving me the opportunity. It’s a challenging job and it’s not very easy. I want to take that challenge and move forward with the team and support staff. There are no words for me to express my happiness.”

The advantage that Jayasuriya has over foreign coaches is that he can converse with the boys in their own native tongue. 

“It is easy to communicate with the team. When players have any issues, they can easily approach me. They know what level of cricket I have played, and they know the value of the discussions they have with me. Along with the input from the senior players we can move forward,” said Jayasuriya. “I have a responsibility. If a local coach comes, something that needs to be remembered is that I don’t have any favourites. I am impartial and independent, and I want the best team to play which is good for the team as well as for the country. It is a challenge because any local coach coming after me will not be able to fulfil what is required if I don’t set an example.”

Jayasuriya’s immediate goal is to prepare the team for the two white ball series (T20I and ODI) against the West Indies starting next Sunday at Dambulla.

“Our first goal is the upcoming white ball series against the West Indies. I like Sri Lanka to win all the matches they play at home. We did well against India in the ODIs. Although we lost in the T20I, the players have shown their character and talent during the series. There are a few areas to fine tune. They know where we went wrong. We are doing specific training for T20Is. After winning the Test series (against New Zealand) the players are fully focused on white ball cricket. I want them to have the same enthusiasm all the time. The way they want to play, and win is the key for me. I am giving them confidence. It is the key, and they are enjoying their cricket and performing.”

Jayasuriya said the reason why he has been able to turn the fortunes of the team around is because of the confidence and trust he has created amongst the team. “They know what they went through a few years ago and they are determined to do well and put it right.”