Sri Lanka Icon Appointed To A Full-Time Coaching Role

Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been named Sri Lanka's head coach following a successful interim tenure

Sanath Jayasuriya will coach Sri Lanka's men's team until the end of the 2026 T20 World Cup / Facebook.

By Ian Oloo

Sanath Jayasuriya has been named by the Sri Lankan cricket board as the head coach of the national men's squad, effective until the end of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2026.

Chris Silverwood resigned from the head coach position after the nation's early elimination from the T20 World Cup, and the former captain filled the void as interim coach for four months until being appointed on a full-time basis. However, Sri Lanka Cricket has offered him a full-time position after he demonstrated success in the capacity.

Over the last few months, Sri Lanka has defeated England away in a Test match for the first time in ten years, won their first bilateral ODI series against India in 27 years, and most recently thrashed New Zealand 2-0 at home in a Test match that offers the team a chance to advance to the World Test Championship final. All of these achievements have come under Jayasuriya's leadership.

"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'," Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

In all three of the game’s formats, the left-handed opening batsman and spin bowler played 586 times for Sri Lanka, amassing 42 centuries and 440 wickets. 2011 marked his final international appearance.

In 2019, the former national selector was barred from all cricket-related activities for a period of two years after coming under fire from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). After refusing to turn in his cell phones, Jayasuriya was charged with hindering or postponing an inquiry into potential corruption in the game.

Later in October, Sri Lanka will play host to the West Indies in a three-match Twenty20 series. Beginning in February 2026, they are slated to co-host the T20 World Cup alongside India.

Jayasuriya is embarking on his first significant coaching endeavor. In multiple interviews, he has stated that he sees his main responsibility as establishing an atmosphere that allows players to be free to act as they like. It seems that the players have taken to his methods well; a number of them have publicly shared positive assessments.