Sanath Jayasuriya set to leave Sri Lanka's head coach role
What's the story
Sanath Jayasuriya is set to step down from his position as the Sri Lanka cricket team's head coach. The announcement came after the team's last Super Eights match in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, where they lost to Pakistan by a narrow margin. Jayasuriya revealed his decision during a post-match press conference following Sri Lanka's defeat in Pallekele.
Contract details
Jayasuriya clarifies contract situation
Jayasuriya clarified that although his original contract was until June 2026, he has no intention of continuing beyond his current commitments. He had not previously communicated his intention to leave Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). "My contract runs till June. I haven't given SLC any news officially yet. They don't know that I am going to say this even. I will need to go and discuss with them. If they can get somebody, definitely they should do that," said Jayasuriya.
Coaching career
Early successes during Jayasuriya's tenure
Jayasuriya took over as Sri Lanka's head coach following the 2024 T20 World Cup. His early days were marked by excitement and notable successes, including Sri Lanka's first bilateral ODI series win over India in 27 years (August 2024). They also registered a historic Test victory against England at The Oval in September that year, despite losing the series overall. The Lankans then defeated New Zealand at home.
Recent challenges
Recent struggles and failures
Despite scaling new heights as head coach, Jayasuriya's tenure has been marred by failures of late. The latest was Sri Lanka crashing out of the home T20 World Cup. Last year, Sri Lanka also faltered in the 2025 T20 Asia Cup. Nevertheless, Jayasuriya remains a legend in Sri Lankan cricket, having scored over 20,000 international runs from a record 586 matches. He was the most explosive batter of his time.