Wijetunge, Abeywickrama appointed as spin-bowling coach and fielding coach respectively

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Apr-2022Naveed Nawaz, the former Sri Lanka batter, has been named the Sri Lanka men’s side’s assistant coach under new head coach Chris Silverwood.Nawaz had recently been Bangladesh’s Under-19 coach, and had overseen that side’s victory in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. The term of his appointment is two years.Related

• Five key issues new Sri Lanka coach Silverwood must address

• Chris Silverwood named Sri Lanka's new head coach

Also appointed to Sri Lanka’s coaching staff is former seam bowler Chaminda Vaas, who has been bowling coach in several stints over the past 10 years. Piyal Wijetunge, for years the lead spin bowling coach in the country, has also been added to the top team’s staff as well, while Manoj Abeywickrama has been named fielding coach. These coaches, however, have only been appointed until the end of Sri Lanka’s forthcoming Bangladesh tour, in May.Nawaz had even been considered for the head coach role as Sri Lanka sought to replace Mickey Arthur, over the past few months, but it is understood that eventually the decision was made to appoint a better-heeled international coach. In Bangladesh, Nawaz had played a role in developing young players such as Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shoriful Islam, and Shamim Hossain, who have all since graduated to the senior men’s side.As a player, Nawaz played one Test and three ODIs for Sri Lanka, and was a force in first-class cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hitting 6892 runs at an average of 36.27Vaas’ reappointment, meanwhile, comes only months after the board declined to renew his contract in December last year. He had been Sri Lanka’s bowling coach under Mickey Arthur, but did not do the job on the recent tour of India.