• Strap – Pleased with Sanath’s performance

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Shammi Silva says that the sport’s local controlling body would shortly revamp the coaching setup of the National Women’s team with an eye to hiring a qualified overseas coach.

National Women’s team head coach and ex-Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake concluded his contract with the SLC after assuming the job in February 2023 and following the recent five-match T20I series against India where the tourists were swept 5-0 by their hosts.

Before the drawback in India, Sri Lanka, who were co-hosts of the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup, failed to advance to the knockout phase of that event as well, with their fortunes in the white-ball arena having nosedived alarmingly in the recent past.

Silva made the revelation during an informal interaction with the media at SLC headquarters on Friday (2), on the sidelines of conducting a tour for them at SSC Grounds, Colombo.

This was in their bid to create public awareness of the latest developments underway at the venue, focusing on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set to begin on 7 February.

“The Ex-Co decided to overhaul the coaching set up of the Women’s team,” Silva said. “At the moment, we have shortlisted a few individuals with requisite qualifications from abroad and once the successful candidate is identified we will announce it in due course.”

He said the Women’s team was currently capable of holding their own against any opposition in world cricket, despite a few setbacks in the recent past, and sounded optimistic of the team’s progress in the years to come with the ICC Women’s T20I World Cup in England and Wales in June-July being foremost among them.

Turning his attention to the Men’s game, Silva stated that his Ex-Co were content with the performance of head coach and former captain Sanath Jayasuriya.

He pointed out that the 56 -year-old’s current contract which came into effect in October, 2024 will be up for review following the conclusion of the T20I World Cup in March, and noted that there was a strong likelihood of him being retained post the format’s marquee event.

Pressed for his take on the Men’s team’s overall showing across all formats, Silva was pleased with the recent results, but opined that they need to strive for more consistency.

He hoped that they would kickstart the new year on a winning note from the three-match bilateral T20I series starting against Pakistan on Wednesday (7).

He also added that he has no doubt in his mind that Sri Lanka, who will be co-hosting the upcoming ICC Men’s T20I World Cup with India, will be one of the teams to beat in the showpiece tournament.

In the meantime, the SLC head disclosed that India has consented to play extra T20I matches during their tour here in August, as a gesture of support for relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah which adversely affected the country late November last year.

The T20I matches are to be played during India’s tour which will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series.

Silva remarked that India had agreed to tour late last month to play two T20 Internationals specifically aimed at generating funds for cyclone relief.

However, he remarked that the matches could not be organised stemming from time constraints and the unavailability of a broadcaster.

Despite this, he expressed his appreciation for India’s support, which he described as reflecting their neighbours’ solidarity with Sri Lanka in the latter’s hour of need. 

He hoped that the forthcoming series would generate sizable revenue and public attention for ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts.

Cyclone Ditwah affected hundreds of thousands of people across the country, triggering severe flooding, landslides, and earth-slips and causing unprecedented damage to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods.

The governing body has already been engaged in numerous initiatives aimed at supporting relief efforts, including exploring international fixtures, and fundraising activities in collaboration with foreign cricket boards.

Silva also said the revenue borne from the T20I series against Pakistan shortly, will be channeled to the relief efforts.