Sanath Jayasuriya Set To Step Down As Sri Lanka Head Coach After T20 World Cup Exit

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya has confirmed his decision to step down as head coach of Sri Lanka’s men’s team, bringing his tenure to a close following the side’s exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Jayasuriya said the decision had been taken well in advance, although Sri Lanka Cricket is yet to be officially informed. Sri Lanka’s campaign ended with a narrow defeat to Pakistan, a result that sealed their elimination from the tournament.

"I thought it was time to give it to someone else," Jayasuriya was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"That's why about two months ago I said during the England series that I didn't have hopes of staying in the job for long. I'd taken this decision by then. I thought I'd be able to leave as coach on a good note in the World Cup. I wasn't able to do that as well as I'd like, and I'm sad about that."

The former all-rounder did not confirm whether his departure would be immediate. Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour Afghanistan for a limited-overs series starting March 13, though the tour itself faces uncertainty due to the prevailing situation in the Middle East.

"My contract runs till June," he said. "I haven't given SLC any news officially yet. They don't know that I am going to say this even. I will need to go and discuss with them. If they can get somebody [to coach the team] then definitely [they should do that]."

Jayasuriya took charge soon after the 2024 T20 World Cup and oversaw a period of improvement in results, particularly in the longer formats. Sri Lanka registered their first ODI bilateral series win over India in 27 years in August 2024, followed by a Test victory at The Oval in September. A 2–0 home Test series win against New Zealand followed shortly after.

He pointed to improved ICC rankings across formats during his tenure, crediting the support staff for their role in the turnaround.

"Over the last one-and-a-half years I was able to bring the team from where we were. In ODIs we were ranked eighth or ninth and we didn't even qualify for a Champions Trophy. But I was able to bring us to No. 4. I've brought the Test team to No. 6, and the T20 team is also sixth or seventh [they currently sit at eighth]."

He added, "I didn't do it alone. My support staff gave me incredible assistance. From day one I asked them to help me, because I didn't have a lot of experience as a coach. But I was able to manage it because of the cricket I'd played."

However, Sri Lanka struggled to find consistency in T20 cricket during the latter part of his tenure. The team exited the home T20 World Cup after four consecutive defeats and delivered modest performances at the 2025 Asia Cup and a T20I tri-series in Pakistan.

Jayasuriya had earlier served two stints as Sri Lanka Cricket’s chief selector. His exit came on the day Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup campaign ended despite a late onslaught from captain Dasun Shanaka, which wasn’t enough to secure victory but knocked Pakistan out of the tournament and sent New Zealand into the semifinals alongside England.

Chasing 213, Sri Lanka finished on 206/7, with Shanaka smashing an unbeaten 76 off 31 balls. Needing six off the last delivery, he left the ball expecting a wide, but the call didn’t come, sealing a narrow defeat.