Sri Lanka rope in Mahela Jayawardene as consultant coach for seniors, Under-19s and 'A' team

Mahela Jayawardene has been roped in as the consultant coach of Sri Lanka’s national team. He will take on the duties from January 1, 2022, and considering the plethora of experience he has under his sleeves, he is expected to take Sri Lankan cricket to greater heights. Sri Lanka Cricket’s Executive Committee in consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee has taken the call to appoint the former cricketer for this post.

As per the SLC, Jayawardene will take the mantle of the overall cricketing element of the national teams and provide his valuable strategic support to the players and the management teams at the High-Performance Center. He will continue serving Sri Lanka Under 19 team considering the upcoming Under-19 World Cup.

Opening up on his appointment, Jayawardene said that it is an exciting opportunity for him. He added that he is extremely passionate about Sri Lankan cricket and with a combined effort aims to achieve consistent success. He also asserted that his main role will be to support coaches and staff in their preparations.

I am very passionate about Sri Lankan cricket: Mahela Jayawardene

“This is an exciting opportunity to work with the national cricketers and coaches in our various development squads, including the U19 and A teams, to help us do justice to the enormous cricketing talent and potential in Sri Lanka.

I am very passionate about Sri Lankan cricket and believe that with a coordinated and focused team effort, taking a holistic approach working across all age groups, we can achieve consistent success in the future. My main role will be supporting our team of national coaches and support staff in terms of our preparation and strategic thinking during the coming year,” Mahela said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket expressed his happiness on Jayawardene’s appointment. He said, “We are extremely happy that Mahela is joining the National Team for an extended role, especially given the context that Sri Lanka has a heavy international calendar during the year 2022. Mahela’s contributions during the first round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup became invaluable for the overall performances of our team in the concluded event.