Harsha to bid adieu to his ladies and Lankan cricket
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced last Tuesday that the incumbent Sri Lanka women’s cricket coach Harsha de Silva has tendered his resignation from his position. When questioned by the Sunday Times, de Silva confirmed the development stating that he will be migrating to Australia with his family during the first week of August.
“I have made my commitments with SLC to stay with the women’s team until the end of the ICC Twenty20 qualifiers, meaning that I will hang around with the girls until August 2. My aim is to see that I put all my efforts to help our women’s team reach the ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Championship to be held in Bangladesh, and end my stint on a high note,” de Silva revealed.
Harsha de Silva
De Silva, an Australian Level III qualified coach, earlier served as the head coach of his former school, St. Joseph’s College Colombo, while discovering the cricketing talents of current skipper Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne and Roshen Silva when they were still new to the trade.
Under de Silva, St. Joseph’s won many championships, was named the best All-Island first XI team four times in addition to many other achievements at the junior level. But winning the legendary ‘Battle of the Saints’ cricket encounter against archrivals St. Peter’s College after three decades was his greatest accomplishment, before reaching the next level.
“It was something all of us at St. Joseph’s longed for, for many years. And I’m glad I was able to guide the boys to a historical win in 2008, after exactly 30 long years. As a Josephian it could be called an unforgettable day in my life,” de Silva revealed.
De Silva’s experience and qualifications made him the ideal choice for SLC to manage the Sri Lanka women’s cricket team, which was going through an appalling era. Months after his appointment, de Silva managed to transform the once-considered minnows into a capable outfit which would go on to record stunning wins. His commitment, patience and faith in his players, put the women’s team on the right track at the concluded ICC Women’s World Cup held in India, where Sri Lanka fared admirably. Moving ahead of teams like England, India and South Africa to reach the global rank of fifth in ODIs is an achievement de Silva considers to rest at the pinnacle of his success as a coach.
“I should thank all the players of the women’s team, its support staff, coaches and administrative officers of the SLC for the help rendered to me during my tenure with the national women’s team. All this assistance made my career more vibrant and successful. In addition, the Sri Lanka national team has maintained a 60 per cent winning success rate under me. This is a great achievement, both for the team and me personally,” he stated.
De Silva will be travelling to Ireland and England in his final tour as the coach of the national women’s team where eight teams will vie for the remaining slot at the upcoming ICC Women’s Twenty20 World Championship.
His goal before ending his tenure will be to see the Lankan lasses reach the big event in Bangladesh. As of now, de Silva revealed that offers from Australia have been flying in with calls for him to assume club coaching duties but he is yet to make up his mind which to one to choose
“I will return to Sri Lanka on August 2 and will fly to Australia within a week. I have more time to think things over and make up my mind on an offer. Certainly I will continue in coaching but I will not rush into things as I will need a bit of time to settle in. Hopefully I may return to Sri Lanka someday. And if I could return then as the coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team, that’s when my dream will become a reality,” he revealed.
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