Sri Lanka News – Mahela Jayawardene resigns as coach

Former Sri Lankan player Mahela Jayawardene, who signed a one-year contract extension as their coach in January, has resigned six months into his contract.

“Sri Lanka Cricket would like to announce that Mr. Mahela Jayawardene, who served as ‘Consultant Coach’ to the SLC, has tendered his resignation with immediate effect,” a press release from the SLC said. “During his tenure, Jayawardene helped implement significant changes in the structure of the national team ecosystem and the High-Performance Centre.”

Jayawardene, who takes up his role from 2022, has seen mixed results during his time at SLC, with an unexpected victory in the 2022 Asia Cup followed by a run to the final a year later among the highlights. But poor performances at the 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cups, and the 2023 ODI World Cup, have put his position under scrutiny, although SLC itself has been keen to expand his role, citing his good work behind the scenes.

His primary role, however, was to oversee a general cultural shift within Sri Lanka cricket. Notable was his support for the National Super League, Sri Lanka’s domestic competition in both first-class and List A cricket, and technical improvements made at the High Performance Centre, as well as a greater focus on data and performance analytics.

Even within the national team, Jayawardene’s role has been more pronounced in recent years, with him accompanying the team on tour for major tournaments in 2022 and 2023. However, his absence was notable during the ongoing T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies, where Sri Lanka failed to make it to the Super Eight.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the plan was for Jayawardene to travel with the team initially, but as it turned out, recently appointed cricket consultant Sanath Jayasuriya instead travelled with the team. Jayasuriya was announced in the newly created role in December last year. At first glance, the role appeared to have some overlap with Jayawardene’s, reportedly ranging from strategic and technical planning to the overall development of the national team.

“It has become clear to me that the current decision-making is no longer fully in line with the direction we were taking in some of these areas and after careful consideration I have come to the conclusion that it is best for me to step down,” Jayawardene had written in his resignation letter, seen by ESPNcricinfo.

Jayawardene, who remains the second most successful coach in the IPL, is currently the global head of performance at Mumbai Indians and its franchises.