Mahela Jayawardena joins Sri Lankan team in Australia as consultant coach for the 20-20 World Cup
Mahela Jayawardena, the former Sri Lankan captain and batting great, linked up with the Sri Lankan squad on Friday. The team is gearing up to play in the 20-20 World Cup in Australia, which starts on September 16.
Mahela has joined the Sri Lankan support staff under the designation of consultant coach. His job will be to provide strategic planning and when it comes to the coaching staff, it will be continued to be led by Chris Silverwood. who will look after strength and conditioning.
Last month, the CEO Ashley De Silva said that Mahela Jayawardena will join the Sri Lankan team under the banner of a consultant coach.
“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,” Ashley de Silva, SLC CEO said. “Both Sri Lanka’s players and coaching staff had been complimentary of Jayawardene’s involvement during the World Cup, and he is understood to have raised the level of data analysis utilised by the team, in particular,” the CEO had said in the statement.
Mahela Jayawardena had earlier been a part of the Sri Lanka men’s team as a consultant for the first round of the T20 World Cup 2021, played in the UAE and Oman in October-November last year. Sri Lanka has just two warm-up games in Melbourne before their opening clash, where they are to take on minnows Namibia in a first-round match at Geelong.
It is no secret that Mahela has been one of the brightest tactical minds when it comes to knowing the nuances of the game. The star batter had captained for a long period and led the island nation to a lot of victories. His coaching profile also stands out as he has coached for a long period in cricket.
He had a stint with the England team in a coaching and consultant role. After he replaced Ricky Ponting as the head coach of the Mumbai franchise, he led them to title-winning campaigns in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022. He has also coached the Southern Brave and helped them win the title in The Hundred. His appointment will surely take Sri Lanka cricket to greater heights.
