Sanath Jayasuriya has decided to step down as Sri Lanka men’s head coach following their narrow defeat to Pakistan, a loss that ended their World Cup campaign. He revealed the decision after the match, confirming the tournament would mark the end of his run, though he has yet to formally notify the board in Colombo.
Jayasuriya made it clear the choice did not arrive overnight. He said, “I thought it was time to give it to someone else,” and admitted he had flagged doubts about his future as early as the England series two months ago. He hoped to sign off with a deep World Cup run, and the failure to do so clearly weighed on him.
He stopped short of confirming an immediate exit. Sri Lanka have a limited-overs tour of Afghanistan pencilled in from March 13, although regional instability now threatens that series. The board may still want continuity if the fixtures go ahead.
“My contract runs till June,” Jayasuriya said. “I haven’t given SLC any news officially yet. They don’t know that I am going to say this even.” He added that he would sit down with Sri Lanka Cricket and step aside quickly if they line up a replacement.
Jayasuriya took charge soon after the 2024 T20 World Cup and enjoyed a sharp early impact. Sri Lanka beat India in an ODI bilateral series for the first time in 27 years in August 2024. They followed that with a Test win at The Oval and a 2–0 home Test sweep of New Zealand.
He pointed to that progress with pride. “Over the last one-and-a-half years I was able to bring the team from where we were,” he said, explaining how Sri Lanka climbed from eighth or ninth in ODIs to fourth. He also highlighted Test and T20 improvements, even if the latter never fully convinced.
Jayasuriya refused to claim the credit alone. “I didn’t do it alone,” he said, praising his support staff and admitting his own lack of coaching experience. He leaned on decades of elite playing knowledge to steady the role.
The final year, however, told a harsher story in T20 cricket. Sri Lanka crashed out of a home T20 World Cup after four straight defeats and failed to ignite at the 2025 Asia Cup. A flat tri-series in Pakistan only deepened concerns.
