Sri Lanka in talks with Hathurusingha over coaching job

Sri Lankan cricket hasn’t had the best of times in the past few months of international cricket. Apart from a win or two here and there, the team has struggled to garner any sort of momentum. Consequently, they were humbled by even lower ranked sides- Zimbabwe. They are also devoid of a permanent coach ever since Graham Ford’s resignation from his role in June after Lanka’s dismal show in the Champions Trophy.

Ford was supposed to be in charge with the team till the 2019 World Cup in England & Wales. However, he resigned following a mutual consideration with the Sri Lankan board. The team management is now in talks with Chandika Hathurusingha for the mentor’s role. In a recent interaction with the media on Wednesday, Dayasiri Jayasekara, the Sri Lankan Sports Minister, spoke about Hathurasingha’s appointment.

“I hope mostly the deal will go through,” Jayasekara quoted. The Minister also appreciated Hathurasingha’s job during his stint with the Bangladesh cricket team. ”He has taken Bangladesh to a higher level… We have invited him to take up (the role of) Sri Lanka coach and I will approve definitely,” he added.

Bangladesh had a shambolic tour of South Africa and were whitewashed in all three formats. Later, there were reports of rifts between the players and Hathurusingha. Thereafter, the Sri Lankan stepped down from his role.

A dire need of a coach

Just like their Asian counterparts, Lanka have also floundered recently. They won the Test series against Pakistan but were comprehensively brushed aside by the hosts in the ODI and T20I series. The team is currently in India for a 3-match Test series. The Dinesh Chandimal-led side has played 16 Tests in India and is yet to win a game. However, the team will be hoping for a turnaround in fortunes in their upcoming fixtures.