Mahela is considered one of the best tacticians going around especially in the shortest format of the game because of his exploits with the Mumbai Indians.
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Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed consultant coach of the Sri Lanka men’s senior team, as well as the men’s Under-19 and the Sri Lanka A teams for a period of one year, starting January 1, 2022. The Sri Lankan cricket legend served as the consultant for the senior national team during round 1 of their campaign at the T20 World Cup in UAE earlier this year. The 44-year-old will, however, have to juggle this commitment with two other high-profile coaching gigs-that of Mumbai Indians and Southern Brave head coach, in the Indian Premier League and the Hundreds competitions respectively.
Mahela is considered one of the best tacticians going around especially in the shortest format of the game because of his exploits with the Mumbai Indians. He was brought to the helm of the most successful IPL team in 2016, replacing Ricky Ponting, and then led them to three title triumphs in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Sri Lanka Cricket said: “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.”
Meanwhile he will also continue his role as the consultant for the Under-19 team, which he was appointed 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.
The right-handed batsman is the first appointment to a national men’s side that doesn’t, at present, have a coaching staff, following the departure of Mickey Arthur.
“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 added.
“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”
One of Sri Lanka’s greatest batters, Jayawardene is also considered as one of the best captains Sri Lanka have ever had, and has been renowned for his tactical acumen for decades. Therefore, a lot will be expected of him as the Sri Lankan national team struggles to build dominance it used to enjoy when Jayawardene used to be the mainstay.
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