Thilan Samaraweera appointed as batting coach for Sri Lanka

Thilan Samaraweera, who has also served as a batting coach with Bangladesh, will have a tough task on his hand

Sri Lanka has roped in former Test batsman Thilan Samaraweera as the batting coach for the national team. Reportedly, he has been offered a contract until the 2019 World Cup. However, Samaraweera, who has also served as a batting coach with Bangladesh, will have a tough task on his hand as his first assignment begins with Sri Lanka’s tour to India.

Samaraweera had made his Test debut for Sri Lanka in 2001 against India and featured in more than 81 Tests and scored 5462 runs at an average of 48.77. The right-handed batsman also played 53 one-day internationals where he could manage on 862 runs. However, Samaraweera’s career encountered a tragedy when he was hit by a bullet during the Lahore terror attack in 2009. But he did return to international cricket after recovering successfully. His last ODI was at the Wankhede in 2011 while he finally retired from all forms of cricket in 2013.

Recently while speaking to islandcricket.com, Samaraweera had spoken about Sri Lanka’s poor run of form and said, “The losing streak could be due to the youthful combination of players who need to grow up with time, but at the same time the Sri Lanka cricket team cannot be run like a daycare centre. Identified talent should be brought together and allowed to develop into winning with proper schedules.”

How far Samaraweera can work his wonder with a struggling Sri Lanka remains to be seen.