Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former skipper Mahela Jayawardena as their consultant coach. 

Sri Lanka Cricket's executive committee in consultation with the technical advisory committee of the Board on Monday (13th December) appointed Jayawardena for the role, for one year, that will commence role from January 1, 2022.

Mahela Jayawardena will look after overall cricketing matters of the Sri Lankan team across formats and will also provide strategic support to the players and management teams at the high-performance center.

Sri Lanka Cricket’s CEO Ashley de Silva said that they are extremely happy with Mahela Jayawardena joining the national team for an extended role. 

He lauded Jayawardena, who played the same role for Sri Lanka in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 before leaving the tournament midway due to bio-bubble fatigue, for the team’s overall performance in the marquee tournament. 

"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. 

"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 said. 

While talking about his new role, Mahela Jayawardena said that it’s an exciting opportunity for him to work with national cricketers and coaches. 

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"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," Mahela Jayawardena said. 

Jayawardena further said that he’s very passionate about Sri Lanka cricket and he feels that team effort combined with a holistic approach can help them achieve a consistent approach in the future. 

"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 said. 

Notably, Mahela Jayawardena in July 2021 was appointed as a consultant for the Sri Lanka U-19 team as part of their preparation for the U-19 World Cup, which will take place in 2022 in the West Indies. It is expected that the former Sri Lanka skipper in addition to the new role will continue guiding the junior team. 

(PTI inputs)