Sri Lanka appoints Mahela Jayawardene as a consultant coach for a year from January 2022
Mahela Jayawardene will work as a consultant coach for Sri Lanka from January 2022
|Sri Lanka has appointed Mahela Jayawardene as a consultant coach of the senior national team for a year from January 2022 for a one-year period. Jayawardene has revealed that his main role will be supporting team of national coaches and support staff in terms of preparation and strategic thinking.
Sri Lanka Cricket on Monday announced that they have appointed Mahela Jayawardene as a consultant coach for a year from January 2022. He has served the national team as a consultant during round 1 of their campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021. He will also continue as a mentor and consultant for the U-19 team. The cricketer was appointed on an honorary role for the junior side earlier this year.
“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,'' said Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket.
"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.”
Jayawardene is considered one of the best tacticians especially in the shortest format of the sport. He has worked with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and was part of the team management during their three title-winning campaigns (2017, 2019 and 2020). Sri Lanka cricket revealed that the former Sri Lanka cricketer will provide strategic support for the players and for management.
"Jayawardena, in his new role, which is effective for a period of one year, will be in charge of the overall cricketing element of the national teams and will provide invaluable strategic support for the players and management teams at the High-Performance Center,” the statement read.
Jayawardene also has experience of working as a batting consultant for England. He has also worked as head coach with Khulna Titans in Bangladesh Premier League and Southern Brave in The Hundred. Reflecting on his appointment for the post, Jayawardene said that the team can achieve constant success with a coordinated and focused team effort.
"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," said Mahela Jayawardene.
"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 also revealed that his primary role will be to provide support the team of national coaches and support staff in terms of preparation and strategic thinking.
"My main role will be supporting our team of national coaches and support staff in terms of our preparation and strategic thinking during the coming year,” he concluded.
