Mahela Jayawardene steps down as Sri Lanka's consultant coach after dismal T20 World Cup campaign

Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down from his position as Consultant Coach of Sri Lanka with immediate effect, Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Wednesday (June 26).

The former Sri Lanka skipper joined the team for the first time in 2022. At that time, he was appointed for a one-year period but later it was extended by SLC for another year. SLC thanked Mahela Jayawardene for his services and wished him for his future endeavors but did not reveal any reason behind parting ways with the legendary player.

"Jayawardena, during his tenure, helped implement significant changes to the structure of the national team ecosystem and the High-Performance Center," said a statement from the board.

"Sri Lanka Cricket takes this opportunity to wish Mahela all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for the services he rendered during his tenure," they further added.

Mahela Jayawardene's resignation comes after the World Cup disaster:

While SLC did not specify the reason behind Mahela Jayawardene's sudden resignation, the reason could be Sri Lanka's dismal show in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Islanders bowed out of the tournament at the group stage after managing just one win.

They began their campaign with a humiliating six-wicket loss against South Africa. The Wanindu Hasaranga-led side was bowled out for just 77 runs in the game. It was followed by a 2-wicket defeat against Bangladesh. With their third game against Nepal getting washed out, they were knocked out of the tournament. Sri Lanka then finished their campaign with an 83-run win over the Netherlands.

The exit from the T20 World Cup has only extended Sri Lanka's poor performance in global events in recent times. Last year, they could not go past the league stage in the ODI World Cup. They finished at the ninth spot in the 10-team competition and also missed out on a spot for next year's Champions Trophy.

Talking about the ongoing T20 World Cup, India, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan have qualified for the semifinals. In the first semifinal, South Africa will be taking on Afghanistan while India and England will be facing each other in the second semifinal.