Sri Lanka Cricket had advertised the permanent head coach position following Chris Silverwood’s exit in late June. But with at least two of Sri Lanka’s three sides showing signs of improvement under Jayasuriya, SLC has initiated the process to bring Jayasuriya in on a longer term.
“We are in the final stages of negotiating the contract with him,” board CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “Probably in the next two or three days you will get to hear more.”
Under him, there have also been a T20I series loss against India, plus two Test defeats in England. But the successes have outweighed these. Sri Lanka are now in the hunt for a World Test Championship final place, and Jayasuriya’s next contract will take the team past the end of the ongoing cycle.
Feedback from players has also been positive, with Angelo Mathews – the most experienced player in the Test side – having described Jayasuriya taking over the team as a “turning point”.
“Sanath Jayasuriya was superb as cricket director and now as coach,” he said. “He communicates well and has given us a lot of freedom. We are all working towards one goal, and now everyone is on the same page. He’s also done a superb job grooming the players. He has been amazing. I wish him all the very best.”
Jayasuriya had previously been chief selector in two different stints in the last decade, but these had largely been defined by modest performances from the men’s team. There has been more stability during his ongoing assignment, however.
With inputs from Madushka Balasuriya
