Mahela Jayawardene has resigned from his position as Sri Lanka’s consulting coach with immediate effect, Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Wednesday (June 26).
The former Sri Lanka captain joined the team for the first time in 2022. At that time, he was appointed for a one-year period but was later extended for a further year by the SLC. SLC thanked Mahela Jayawardene for his services and wished him his future endeavours, but did not reveal any reason for parting ways with the legendary player.
“Jayawardena, during his tenure, helped implement significant changes to the ecosystem structure of the national team and the High Performance Centre,” a board statement said.
“Sri Lanka Cricket takes this opportunity to wish Mahela all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for the services he rendered during his tenure,” they further added.
Mahela Jayawardene’s resignation comes after the World Cup disaster:
While the SLC did not specify the reason for Mahela Jayawardene’s sudden resignation, the reason could be Sri Lanka’s dismal show in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The islanders bowed out of the tournament in the group stage after achieving only a victory.
They began their campaign with a humiliating six-wicket defeat against South Africa. The Wanindu Hasaranga-led team was bowled out for just 77 runs in the game. A 2-wicket defeat against Bangladesh followed. By losing their third match against Nepal, they were eliminated from the tournament. Sri Lanka then ended their campaign with an 83-run victory over the Netherlands.
The exit from the T20 World Cup has only added to Sri Lanka’s poor performance in global events in recent times. Last year they failed to get past the league stage in the ODI World Cup. They finished in ninth place in the 10-team competition and also missed out on a place for next year’s Champions Trophy.
Talking about the ongoing T20 World Cup, India, England, South Africa and Afghanistan have qualified for the semi-finals. In the first semi-final, South Africa will face Afghanistan, while India and England will meet in the second semi-final.