New Delhi: The legendary Sanath Jayasuriya has decided to step down from his position as the head coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team after their exit from the T20 World Cup 2026. Sri Lanka bowed out of the tournament after suffering back-to-back defeats in their first two matches in the Super Eight stage.
Sri Lanka suffered a crushing 51-run defeat against England in their Super Eight opener before suffering a 61-run loss against New Zealand in their second game. The hosts fell short by five runs against Pakistan in their final Super Eight game, losing three matches in a row.
Sri Lanka had defeated Australia and minnows Oman and Ireland in the group stage to make it to the Super Eight. Their only defeat in the group stage came against Zimbabwe, who were the second team to qualify from their group.
Speaking after his team’s loss in their final Super Eight game in Pallekele on Saturday, Jayasuriya told reporters that he would like to quit before his contract comes to an end in June this year. The legendary all-rounder said he will hold talks with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) soon regarding his desire to step down.
“My contract ends in June but I will go before that, I will be talking to Sri Lanka Cricket to decide my stepping down,” Jayasuriya told reporters on Saturday.
“We should have done better, I am sorry and I apologize to fans,” added the legendary all-rounder, who was the Man of the Tournament when Sri Lanka won their maiden ODI World Cup in 1996.