Sanath Jayasuriya named Sri Lanka head coach until 2026 T20 World Cup

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team on a 2-year contract.

Jayasuriya was appointed as the interim coach for the series against India, England and New Zealand but has now got the job on a permanent basis.

His contract is from October 1st to March 31st 2026 as told by the Sri Lanka cricket board via a social media post.
 

Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team.

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,… pic.twitter.com/IkvAIJgqio

— Sri Lanka Cricket ???????? (@OfficialSLC) October 7, 2024

The post on social media platform 'X' read, "Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team.

 

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.

The appointment came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026."

Sri Lanka went onto beat India 2-0 in their first ODI series under the then interim coach Jayasuriya which showed the former Lankan captain's influence on the proceedings.

With Jayasuriya's contract running out after the 2026 T20 World Cup, it will be interesting to see how the Sri Lanka veteran prepares the side for the global event which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka as well.

Jayasuriya played 586 matches for his national side, scoring an impressive 21032 runs and 440 wickets across all formats is one of the best all-rounders produced by the country over the years.