Mahela Jayawardene Named 'Consultant Coach' of Sri Lanka; Tenure to Last One Year

Former Sri Lanka great Mahela Jayawardena has been appointed as ‘consultant coach’ of the national cricket team. Jayawardena, who has proved his metal as one of the successful IPL coaches, is now foraying into an international role which will see him taking stock of everything which includes providing invaluable strategic support for the players to managing teams at the High-Performance Center.

“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,’’ said Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket.

“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,’ De Silva, further added.

Despite the new appointment, Jayawardena will continue to perform in his role with the Under-19 team, as it prepares for next year’s ICC under-19 World Cup to be held in West



Indies.

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

“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,” he added.

“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.”

Jayawradena played a key role in the success of Mumbai Indians guiding them to the trophy in 2019 and 2020. A lot will be expected of him as the Sri Lankan national team struggles to build dominance it used to enjoy when Jayawardena used to be its batting mainstay. The team failed to make the cut for the semi-final at the ICC T20 World Cup.