Sri Lanka appoint Rumesh Ratnayake as interim head coach for Zimbabwe series

Former first-class batter Ruwin Peiris will serve as interim batting coach

Rumesh Ratnayake has been named as Sri Lanka’s interim head coach for their three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.

The national side are currently searching for a replacement for Mickey Arthur, whose contract ended on December 4, 2021. Arthur is now working as Derbyshire’s head coach.

Ratnayake has previously served as interim head coach as well as enjoying a permanent position as a fast bowling coach at Sri Lanka Cricket’s high performance centre.

Ruwin Peiris will work alongside Ratnayake as interim batting coach. The 51-year-old batter made 142 career first-class appearances, scoring 7,244 runs at 33.69.

Consultant coach Mahela Jayawardene is not expected to be with the squad due to his commitments with Sri Lanka Under-19s at the Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to face Zimbabwe in Kandy on January 16, January 18 and January 21 as part of the 2020-23 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.

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