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Sri Lanka Cricket Appoints New National Coaches for High Performance Centre

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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced two key appointments to its National High Performance Centre as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s coaching structure across all formats and levels.

Former Netherlands coach Ryan van Niekerk has been named the National Bowling Coach, while Jordan Gregory will take on the role of National Fielding and Spin Bowling Coach. Both appointments will come into effect from April 15, 2026, with each coach set to serve a two-year tenure.

In his new role, van Niekerk will oversee fast bowling development across all national teams, including the senior men’s side. He brings valuable international experience, having served as the bowling coach and interim head coach of the Netherlands national team from 2023 to 2026. Prior to that, he worked as the assistant coach and bowling coach of the Netherlands men’s team.

During his time with the Dutch side, van Niekerk played a role in their participation in major global tournaments, including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026.

Meanwhile, Gregory will be responsible for managing fielding standards and spin bowling development across all national squads. He previously worked as a fielding consultant with Netherlands Cricket and contributed to several international assignments, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2023.

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SLC Postpones Domestic Cricket Tournaments Due to Adverse Weather

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Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the postponement of all its scheduled domestic cricket tournaments following an assessment of prevailing weather conditions across the country.

The decision affects several key competitions that were due to commence today, including the Major Club T20 Tournament, Tier B Club T20 Tournament, and the Governors Trophy tournament.

According to SLC, the move was taken to ensure the safety of players, officials, and support staff, while also maintaining the quality of playing conditions amid continued unfavorable weather.

Tournament organizers stated that revised schedules for the affected competitions will be released in due course after further evaluation of weather forecasts and ground conditions.

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Sri Lanka Set for White-Ball Leadership Change as Kusal Mendis Emerges Favourite

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Sri Lanka Cricket is reportedly preparing for a major leadership overhaul in the national white-ball teams, with Kusal Mendis tipped to become captain of both the ODI and T20I sides ahead of the upcoming West Indies tour.

According to a report by The Sunday Times, the experienced wicketkeeper-batter is expected to replace Charith Asalanka as ODI captain and take over the T20I leadership from Dasun Shanaka.

The reported decision comes as Sri Lanka seeks to strengthen its limited-overs structure and build momentum ahead of a packed international schedule. Cricket officials are believed to view Mendis as a dependable senior figure capable of guiding a relatively young squad through the next phase of development.

Having represented Sri Lanka for several years across all three formats, Mendis has established himself as one of the team’s key performers in white-ball cricket. His experience and consistency are expected to play a crucial role if the appointment is confirmed.

Meanwhile, the report stated that Dhananjaya de Silva will continue to lead the Test side, ensuring stability in the longer format.

Sri Lanka Cricket has yet to make an official announcement regarding the captaincy changes.

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Angelo Mathews sparks debate over England’s proposed Test tour reductions

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Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has strongly criticised reports that England may reduce future Test tours of Sri Lanka to a single match, warning that such a move risks undermining the fairness and integrity of the World Test Championship structure.

According to reports, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reviewing its Future Tours Programme, with discussions suggesting that overseas red-ball series against nations such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh could be trimmed to just one Test, alongside white-ball fixtures. The shift is being linked to scheduling pressures and a push to prioritise longer home series against top-tier opposition.

However, Mathews has pushed back firmly against the idea, arguing that Test cricket must not be reshaped around commercial convenience or unequal participation between nations.
“We should not play one off test with anyone! If any country doesn’t want to play more than one so be it!” Mathews said, expressing clear frustration at the proposal.

He further stressed that all Test nations must be treated equally within the format, warning against creating an imbalance in match opportunities across the championship cycle.
“There’s nothing called bigger nations and test status is equal to all test playing nations,” he said.

Mathews also questioned the logic of restructuring series length while maintaining a unified global competition, pointing out the contradiction in workload and fairness.
“You can’t have 1 team playing 20 games and another playing 10 games in the same championship cycle!” he added.

His strongest criticism came when addressing the reasoning behind the proposed changes, which have been partly linked to revenue generation and broadcast appeal.

“Generating revenue and keeping test cricket alive is two different things and you should not mix up the two!” Mathews said, drawing a clear line between financial priorities and the preservation of the longest format.

The reported ECB discussions come amid wider debates within the International Cricket Council (ICC) over potential reforms to the World Test Championship, including proposals to expand participation and possibly allow single-Test series to contribute to standings for the first time.

The ICC is expected to review the proposals in upcoming meetings, with the future structure of Test cricket under increasing scrutiny as scheduling demands continue to grow across formats.

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