It has been more than a decade since Sri Lanka won an ODI series over New Zealand. The last time they were seen lifting the bilateral cup was in 2012 when the kiwis visited the island nation. Seems like appointment of the new coach Sanath Jayasuriya had some tricks under his sleeves.
Sri Lanka at home this year
Sri Lanka has beaten Zimbabwe in both the T20 and ODI series with 2-1 and 2-0 this year in January. In February this year, Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan in T20 by 2-1 and ODI by 3-0. In August it beat India, a tier 1 cricket nation in the ODI series by 2-0. Just a month ago the Lankans won both the T20 as well as ODI series against the West Indians by 2-1. The Lankans have won all the ODI series at home this year under Jayasuriya.
Sri Lanka legend Sanath Jayasuriya took the reins of the men’s national team as the interim head coach from October 1, 2024, and will run until March 31, 2026 and will hold the position until the completion of the tour of England. Having featured in 586 matches for Sri Lanka across formats, accumulating an impressive 21,032 runs and 440 wickets, Jayasuriya’s appointment brings a wealth of experience. Since the stepping in of Sanath Jayasuriya after replacing the English coach Chris Silverwood, Jayasuriya has won all the series it has played.
Other offices
Jayasuriya is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, captain, cricket administrator and coach. He was elected to the parliament from his native Matara District when he ran for the public office at the 2010 Sri Lankan general elections. He has also served Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as a selector and a full-time Cricket Consultant.