Rumesh Ratnayake appointed interim coach of the National Team

Former pacer Rumesh Ratnayake has been named as the interim coach of the Sri Lankan team ahead of their home series against Zimbabwe, the country’s cricket board said on Tuesday.

“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Rumesh Ratnayake as the interim coach of the National Team for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka,” SLC said in a statement.

The 58-year-old Ratnayake, who has played 23 Tests and 70 ODIs in a career spanning from 1982 to 1993, is currently serving as a fast bowling coach at the High-Performance Center.

Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Rumesh Ratnayake as the interim coach of the National Team for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka.
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— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) January 4, 2022

He will step in the shoes of Mickey Arthur who had vacated the post in November last year.

Ruvin Peiris, who was serving as a batting coach at the High-Performance Center, has also been roped in to work with the senior national team for the Zimbabwe series on an interim basis.

Former skipper Mahela Jayawardena, who is the Consultant Coach of the ‘National Teams’, will leave for West Indies on January 9 to join the U-19 Team, which is already in the Caribbean, to take part in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

“He will be with the U19 team during the World Cup,” SLC said.