Three ‘Jayas’ with specific roles to improve standards
Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardena have been in the same unit under different capacity, but now are at the helm as Consultants for SLC
As part of their restructuring,
Sri Lanka Cricket will transfer Jerome Jayaratne, the Chief Operating Officer, back to the high-performance center as requested by the newly appointed Consultant Coach Sanath Jayasuriya.
Jayasuriya has accepted a newly created role to oversee both players and coaches at SLC’s high-performance center in Khettarama for a period of one year, focusing on individual skill development strategies for players and monitoring the coaching staff.
Jayaratne, who previously headed the HPC at various times, was transferred to SLC headquarters early last year, with his duties given to Australian Tim McCaskill.
However, Jayasuriya wanted Jayaratne to return to the HPC to lead the high-performance programme involving the national cricketers, while McCaskill is likely to oversee the overall aspects of junior cricket.
With Jayasuriya’s appointment, SLC has reassigned some of Mahela Jayawardena’s responsibilities to Jayasuriya, with Jayawardena now being involved in setting up the overall strategy for national teams and Sri Lanka cricket.
SLC has clarified that there is a clear division of responsibilities between the two former captains to prevent any unpleasantness between them. Jayasuriya and Jayawardena, although once teammates and having played under each other, are not on good terms, raising concerns about a potential clash of egos.
“We have given them clear guidelines on their roles,” said Ashley de Silva, the CEO of SLC. “We needed someone to oversee the training of players and coaches, and this is where Sanath comes in, while Jayawardena will set up the overall strategy for the game.”