Mahela Jayawardene, the former captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team, held a meeting with officials from the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board on Tuesday. Reliable sources have revealed that during the meeting, the 47-year-old discussed the reasons behind the team’s disappointing performance in the recent World Cup. Jayawardene, who accompanied the national team to India, also shared his plans for the development of cricket in the country.
One of the sources present at the meeting stated that Jayawardene’s contract still has three months remaining and he did not indicate any intention to resign from his position. However, the SLC is considering hiring another former captain and all-rounder, Sanath Jayasuriya, for a similar role. If Jayasuriya accepts the responsibilities, he will be a full-time consultant unlike Jayawardene, who has been in and out of the position. Jayasuriya will also oversee the performance of the coaching staff.
Furthermore, the Sports Minister, who previously held the portfolio, has appointed a new five-member national selection panel led by Upul Tharanga. This change came into effect on Tuesday, December 12. The SLC management had provided a list of 11 candidates for the position, which included some members from the previous selection committee, including the chairman, Pramodya Wickramsinghe.
According to the source, the Minister desired new faces in the selection panel, particularly after the disappointing World Cup performance. The Minister believed that the previous panel had been experimenting with the team composition without any accountability.
