• SLC to advertise coaching position 

Ex-Sri Lanka off-spinner Ruwan Kalpage has been named as the head coach of the Sri Lanka Under-19 team ahead of their forthcoming tour of England, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley de Silva said.

He said that the 54-year-old’s appointment will only be for the tour scheduled to start late next month.

Kalpage is currently functioning full-time as the Director of Cricket at the High Performance Centre at R. Premadasa International Stadium (Khettarama) being deputy to the head of the High Performance Centre is Jerome Jayaratne.

De Silva added that once the upcoming tour of England is concluded, the SLC will advertise for a full-time head coach for the team with applications being entertained from locally and overseas.

Asked whether the former Kandy St. Anthony’s College captain will also be in the frame to fill up the position, the SLC CEO ruled out the possibility.

He said that Kalpage, who excelled in white-ball cricket during his playing days, will be occupied with his work at the High Performance Center and hence he will not have sufficient time to devote to the Under-19 team.

The former player has held various positions within the national set-up since calling time on his career in 1999 and he has also had a stint as the high performance head coach of Bangladesh’s National Cricket Academy.

Sri Lanka are slated to play England in a three-game Under-19 ODI series and a two-match Under-19 Test series during their tour to the UK. 

The Sri Lanka U19 tour of England itinerary:

25 June: 50-over warm-up match at Loughborough University

28 June: 1st U19 ODI at Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford (d/n)

1 July: 2nd U19 ODI at 1st Century County Ground, Hove

3 July: 3rd U19 ODI at 1st Century County Ground, Hove

8-11 July: 1st U19 Test at Wormsley

16-19 July: 2nd U19 Test at Cheltenham

(A special Correspondent)