Graham Ford as new cricket coach

South African Graham Ford has been named Sri Lanka’s new coach in a series of changes aimed at improving the standard of the national cricket team, the government information department said here Tuesday.

Ford will replace Australian Geoff Marsh after the team struggled in South Africa, losing the Test as well as one-day series. Subsequently, Tillakaratne Dilshan resigned from captaincy and former captain Mahela Jayawardana was reappointed to lead the team on tour to Australia. Ford recently announced he was quitting as head coach of the Dolphins, the South African, Durban-based franchise.

Ford took over as coach of South Africa from Bob Woolmer in 1999 and held the position till 2001. He moved to Kent as director of cricket in 2004, and in 2006 he returned home to take charge of the Dolphins.

In June 2007, he was offered the challenge of coaching India but, to the embarrassment of the Indian cricket board, he declined. In 2009, he also withdrew his name from the short list of candidates for the England coaching job.(IANS)