Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the head coach of Sri Lanka men’s cricket team following the team’s impressive results against India, England and New Zealand. Jayasuriya’s appointment has come into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026. “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.

His first assignment as head coach will be the upcoming limited-overs matches against the West Indies, in Dambulla and Pallekele.

The former attacking batter, who had previously served as the cricket consultant of the SLC, was first appointed as the interim head coach of the men’s national team July. He was entrusted the job by Sri Lanka Cricket since the departure of English coach Chris Silverwood following a zig zag journey with the T20 World Cup disaster.

Under Jayasuriya’s guidance over the past few months, Sri Lanka won their first bilateral ODI series against India in 27 years, defeated England away in a Test for the first time in 10 years, and more recently thrashed New Zealand 2-0 in home Tests.

From 1991 to 2007, Jayasuriya played 110 Test matches, amassing 6973 runs at an average of 40.07 thanks to 14 hundreds and 31 fifties. The left-hander scored 13,430 runs at an average of 32.36 in 445 ODIs 28 hundreds and 68 half-centuries. He played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s 1996 ODI World Cup victory.