da bwin： Chandika Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lanka all-rounder still playingfirst-class cricket for Moors Sports Club, has been appointed as Sri Lanka’snew A team coach after a management debacle that has seen Roshan Mahanamaresign as head coach
da dobrowin： CricInfo22-Mar-2002Chandika Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lanka all-rounder still playingfirst-class cricket for Moors Sports Club, has been appointed as Sri Lanka’snew A team coach after a management debacle that has seen Roshan Mahanamaresign as head coach.Hathurusingha, 33, who is a highly qualified and experienced coach, willtake over the reigns with immediate effect, training the A squad for a tourto Namibia in April where they will participate in a six nation one-daytournament with Namibia, Kenya, Holland, Zimbabwe A and Canada.Graeme Labrooy, 36, a former Sri Lanka fast bowler, has also been appointedas team manager, a position he nearly took up before the Kenya tour of SriLanka in February.Both Hathurusingha and Labrooy have been employed for the tour only,although a longer contract cannot be ruled out with India A expected to tourSri Lanka in May and June. This though will depend on whether Hathurusinghasecures a playing contract in the UK.The sudden change in the A team management comes after a contractual muddlebetween former A team coach Hemantha Devpriya and his replacement Mahanamathat left both men occupying the same job.Devpriya had been replaced by the interim committee of the BCCSL late lastyear and had been asked to take over the Under 17 squad. But Devpriya, stillcontracted with the BCCSL, proved reluctant to except such a drasticdemotion.The interim committee failed to take action, with the result being a fudgedcompromise, with Devpriya the designated coach and Mahanama themanager-cum-coach during the Kenya tour. Mahanama was uncomfortable with thearrangement, despite the Kenya tour passing smoothly.After the tour, Mahanama raised his concerns and then resigned. The BCCSL,in an exasperated media release, maintained that they had resolved theissue, with Devpriya taking over the management of the Development squad,but Mahanama still refused to withdraw his resignation, for reasons thatremain unclear, although his close relationship with Devpriya, who bothschooled at Nalanda College, was reportedly a factor.The Sri Lanka A squad for Namibia, which is currently with the sportsminister awaiting clearance, will be announced shortly. The team departs inearly April with the tournament running from 7-14 April.
