With immediate effect, Mahela Jayawardene leaves his position as Sri Lanka’s consulting coach.

The unexpected development is that Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as the Sri Lankan team’s consultant coach. On Wednesday, June 26, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) verified the news. The former captain of Sri Lanka, Jayawardene, took up this position in 2022 and served in it for a year before it was renewed for a another year.

The renowned former cricket player abruptly resigned, although no clear explanation was given. However, some speculate that it might have been due to his displeasure with Sri Lanka’s performance in the current T20 World Cup 2024.

“Jayawardena, during his tenure, helped implement significant changes to the structure of the national team ecosystem and the High-Performance Centre,” according to an SLC statement.

“Sri Lanka Cricket takes this opportunity to wish Mahela Jayawardene all the best in his future endeavours and thank him for the services he rendered during his tenure,” they continued.

The 2014 champions, led by the all-around talisman Wanindu Hasaranga, were grouped with South Africa, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Netherlands in the first round. The Island nation’s hopes of advancing past the first round were seriously damaged by their losses to Bangladesh and South Africa in their opening two games. They lost their match against Nepal and ended their campaign with a meaningless 83-run victory over the Netherlands.

What happens to Sri Lanka next?

When Sri Lanka hosts India for a white-ball series in July and August of this year, they will aim to move behind their disastrous performance at the T20 World Cup in 2024 and put on a passionate display. After a three-match T20I series between the two Asian teams, the Island Nation will host three ODI series.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: First Semi-Final: Afghanistan vs. South Africa – Who Said What?

July 27 is the day of the first T20I match; July 28 and July 30 are the dates of the second and third matches, respectively. The teams’ attention will switch to the 50-over format after the T20I series, with the three ODIs scheduled for August 2, 4, and 7, respectively.