Sanath Jayasuriya announces decision to step down as Sri Lanka head coach ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
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Sanath Jayasuriya steps down as Sri Lanka coach: Sri Lankan coach Sanath Jayasuriya was appointed as the head coach of the Lankan side in 2024, and after a decent run with the Lankans, he has dropped a bombshell ahead of their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.
Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lankan captain, was handed a full-time role as the head coach of the Men's National Cricket Team by the SLC in October 2024; however, he had assumed the role as an interim coach since Chris Silverwood, the former coach's departure in July.
Under Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan cricket saw a new dawn of satisfying performances across all formats of the game. Playing under him, Sri Lanka won their first ODI bilateral series against India after 27 years and then went on to register their first Test win in England in 10 years. Jayasuriya had also led them to a home test whitewash against New Zealand.
Sanath Jayasuriya to step down as head coach of Sri Lanka after T20 World Cup
Following his successful run with the Lankan team as their interim coach, he was handed the full-time coaching role. However, after some initial success, they disappointed as they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy in 2025 and then were thrown out of the Super-4 stages of the Asia Cup, after losing to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
After leading Sri Lanka in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, where they are the co-hosts of the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya has decided to step down as the head coach and has informed sportspavilion.lk of the same.
"Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya told sportspavilion.lk, in response to an inquiry made by us, that he has decided to step down from his position after the upcoming T20 World Cup," sportspavilion.lk wrote in their official update.
EXCLUSIVE 🚨
— DANUSHKA ARAVINDA (@DanuskaAravinda) January 4, 2026
Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya told https://t.co/JHg7XAkMgm, in response to an inquiry made by us, that he has decided to step down from his position after the upcoming T20 World Cup#sportspavilionlk #danushkaaravinda #SanathJayasuriya pic.twitter.com/zTJFeBkZme
Sri Lanka's roller-coaster campaign under Sanath Jayasuriya
As mentioned earlier the Lankans revives their hopes in the sport with Jayasuriya stepping in as their head coach. India travelled to Sri Lanka for a white ball series under Gautam Gambhir and the coach lost his maiden ODI series as the national coach.
Sanath Jayasuriya led them to a great win in the ODI series of the tour, which ended their 27 years losing streak to India. Such losing streaks were also ended in Test cricket with a Test match win in England against England.
However, there glory was cut short by the failed Champions Trophy and Asia Cup campaigns and Sri Lanka's aweful T20I performances which included losses against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga to aid Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup
The two Lankan maestros of the game will join hands to leas Sri Lanka from the dressing room in their home T20 World Cup. The former T20 World Cup champions last won an ICC tournament back in 2014 and have won none since then.
Jayasuriya will be joined alongside fast bowler Lasith Malinga who has been appointed to help the Lankans prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup as their adviser for fast bowling. Lasith Malinga led Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup final of 2014, when they last won the title.
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