Sanath Jayasuriya appointed Sri Lanka head coach till 2026

Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya on Monday was appointed as the head coach of the Sri Lankan team on a permanent basis.

The 55-year-old Jayasuriya, a swashbuckling opener in his prime, took over as interim coach in July after Englishman Chris Silverwood resigned following Sri Lanka's disastrous showing in the T20 World Cup.

Under Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's performance showed great improvement in recent

months. They stunned India in the ODI series in August, while winning a Test match in England. Recently, Sri Lanka whitewashed New Zealand 2-0 in a Test series at home to move to third place in the World Test Championship standings and stay in the race for next year's WTC Final.

Jayasuriya, who was part of Sri Lanka's World Cup winning team in 1996, has been appointed on a two-year contract till March 31, 2026.

"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team," Sri Lanka Cricket said on X.

"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.’."