Former England cricketer Ian Bell was announced on Tuesday as Sri Lanka’s new batting coach for the upcoming three-match Test series against England. Sri Lanka Cricket revealed that the 42-year-old former right-handed batter, who played 118 Tests for England, was brought on board to leverage his deep understanding of local conditions. “We appointed Ian to provide key insights on the conditions there, which will be invaluable to our players,” said Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva. “We believe his experience will be a significant asset on this crucial tour.”
Last month, Sri Lanka also appointed former captain Sanath Jayasuriya as the interim head coach, following the resignation of Chris Silverwood, who stepped down after the team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup.
Jayasuriya, 55, will serve as interim coach until a permanent replacement is found. During his career, Jayasuriya represented Sri Lanka in 586 matches across all three formats, scoring 42 centuries and taking 440 wickets, with his last international appearance in 2011.
Former England coach Chris Silverwood, 49, resigned from his position citing “personal reasons,” according to Sri Lanka Cricket.
Under Silverwood’s leadership, Sri Lanka had a mixed run. They won only one match at the T20 World Cup, defeating the Netherlands, and finished third in their group behind South Africa and Bangladesh. Silverwood had taken over in April 2022 and saw early success when Sri Lanka claimed the T20 Asia Cup that year. The team also reached the final of the 50-over Asia Cup in 2023. However, they failed to advance to the knockout stages of both the 2022 T20 World Cup and last year’s 50-over World Cup.
