Sports
Silverwood’s methods have worked for Sri Lanka
By Rex Clementine
There were few murmurs when Chris Silverwood was hired as Sri Lanka’s Head Coach. The reason being that two months before SLC got him on board, the Yorkshireman had been sacked as Head Coach of England.
There are two types of coaches. Career coaches like John Buchanan, Dav Whatmore and Trevor Bayliss. Then there’s the other category, former players who get prominent coaching positions because of their standing in the game. Examples are Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene and Ravi Shastri. Silverwood falls to the former category. He was Essex’s coach when the County Championship retuned to Chelmsford after quarter of a century. Soon, ECB got interested and roped him in as Fast Bowling Coach.
There was World Cup success in 2019 and when Bayliss quit as Head Coach on a high, Silverwood was elevated to England’s top job. He did have a decent run. But once you lose the Ashes 4-0, there’s no way you are going to survive. He was sacked in February. He was quite powerful in England where the Head Coach is a selector as well. His policy of rest and rotate didn’t win him many admirers. The reason being that if you are to beat the Aussies, you have got to be at full strength. British press can be ruthless but in the case of Silverwood even the tabloids agreed on one thing; Silverwood is a decent, charming man.
You wondered how a decent man can succeed in the Sri Lankan system. Our most successful coaches have been Aussies with an aggressive approach like Whatmore and Tom Moody. Bayliss was quite successful as well but when you have Muralitharans, Jayasuriyas, Sangakkaras and Jayawardenes the coach has plenty of match winning options. Silverwood’s case was different. He inherited a young team. A team that was unsure of how to go about things. A team whose batting unit collapsed too often and a bowling unit that was frequently injured. There were off the field distractions as well.
Silverwood has been low key letting his players take the limelight. He’s not the type of person to express his emotions in public. He’s known as someone who is methodical and meticulous. Spends a lot of time in planning and remains a father figure to the players. But when he needs to be firm, he lets the players have it. Apparently during the tour of Bangladesh, when the fast bowlers were wayward with the new ball, he gave a piece of his mind to the quicks. Not sure how many of them understood the message though.On another occasion during the bilateral series against Australia, when a member of the support staff got too excited and was disrespecting the captain as emotions ran high, he put his foot down again saying there was no necessity to do that.
It’s been an impressive six months for Silverwood. When Mickey Arthur vacated his position in December, those who were entrusted to headhunt a coach weren’t looking beyond Graham Ford and Paul Farbrace. Ford is an excellent choice but there are other coaches who are capable of contributing as well. Silverwood has proved it. He has won Tests against Australia and Pakistan, won an ODI series against Australia and the biggest of them all was the Asia Cup win.
To win five games in a row in T-20 format, that too beating world’s number one and number two ranked teams, is no mean task. Australia was Silverwood’s lowest point in coaching. That was last year. He has a few things to prove to the Aussies and watching young Sri Lankans competing in the World Cup will be exciting.
The uncapped trio of Malki Madara, Dewmi Vihanga and Piumi Badalge are among six changes to the women’s squad that toured New Zealand earlier this year, as Sri Lanka named a 17-member squad for the upcoming ODI tri-series against India and South Africa starting April 27.
There are recalls for veteran Inoka Ranaweera as well as Hasini Perera ans and Hansima Karunaratne. Making way are Imesha Dulani, Sachini Nisansala, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Chethana Vimukthi and the injured Udeshika Prabodhani.
The three new faces, 24-year-old spinner Madara made her senior debut during last month’s T20I series against New Zealand, impressing with a match-winning three-wicket haul in her first game.
She joins a strong spin contingent, bolstered by the returning Ranaweera, and one that also has the likes of Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, star allrounder. Kavisha Dilhari , and the uncapped 19-year-old spin-bowling allrounder Vihanga.
Another player who will be eyeing an ODI debut will be 18-year-old batting allrounder Rashmika Sewwandi, who was part of Sri Lanka’s squad at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year. Sewwandi is one of just two seamers in the squad, alongside Achini Kulasuriya.
The squad is largely settled on the batting front, with skipper Chamari Athapaththu leading a mostly unchanged unit which includes Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani.
There are, however, slots for the taking with 17-year-old Manudi Nanayakkara one to keep an eye on, after she scored a brisk 35 in her only opportunity on the tour of New Zealand. Panadura CC captain Badalge, 29, will also be hoping for a first opportunity with the national side.
Sri Lanka play India in Colombo on April 27 to begin the series.
Sri Lanka squad for women’s ODI tri-series:
Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Manudi Nanayakkara, Hasini Perera, Achini Kulasuriya, Piumi Badalge, Dewmi Vihanga, Hansima Karunaratne, Malki Madara, Inoshi Priyadarshini, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmika Sewwandi, Inoka Ranaweera
(Cricinfo)
In a bold stride towards sporting excellence, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) unveiled a state-of-the-art swimming pool at the National High Performance Center, located within the iconic R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
The eight-lane, semi-Olympic standard facility was ceremonially declared open by the Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Sunil Kumara Gamage, at the invitation of SLC President Shammi Silva. SLC’s Ex-Co members too were present at the occasion alongside former Test captain and current Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya.
National women’s team captain Chamari Atapattu and her teammates also marked their presence, signaling the pool’s immediate value to elite athletes.
Spanning 25 meters in length and 21 meters in width, with a depth between 1.2 and 1.8 meters, the new pool is a cornerstone of SLC’s ambitious National Pathway Program.
It aims to bolster player fitness, post-match recovery, and injury rehabilitation for the National, ‘A’ team, and the fast and spin bowling squads. Visiting international teams will also have access to the facility during Sri Lanka tours.
Fully equipped with modern changing rooms, first aid units, and athlete support amenities, the new aquatic addition is more than just a pool — it’s a symbol of SLC’s commitment to building a holistic, world-class training environment.
The High Performance Center already boasts a full gymnasium, an international-standard cricket ground, under-lights training facilities, a dedicated physiotherapy wing, and the acclaimed Brain Center for data-driven performance analysis.
Coming soon in Phase Two: a Jacuzzi, an ice bath, and a new indoor net complex — all part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s drive to stay ahead of the curve in global cricketing infrastructure.
The Grade A category Colombo Championships, which is the oldest tennis tournament of the country, gets underway for the 110th time on April 25 at the SLTA (playing section) courts at Green Path. The tournament has attracted a record number of participants which include the cream of Sri Lankan tennis players.
The title sponsor of the tournament is eye care provider ‘Vision Care’. In addition, this year it is also Co-sponsored by ‘Thambapanni Leisure’. Events ranging from juniors (Boys/Girls- under 12 to 18), men’s, women’s and veterans (for over 35, 45, 55 and 65) are being held, giving every segment of the tennis playing community an opportunity to participate.
Making his title sponsorship commitment, Janaka Fonseka, Managing Director of Vision Care said “we are very happy to be involved in this prestigious tournament for over a decade. We believe sport is vital for the health of the nation and are strongly committed to supporting the Colombo Championships. The objective of the tournament is in line with our corporate objectives and as such we want to be part of this wonderful event.
Sria Munasinghe, President of the SLTA Playing Section said “I would like to place on record my utmost appreciation of all the sponsors specially Vision Care for unstinted support during the last ten years and the Managing Director of Thambapanni Leisure Prashanth Dissanayake and others who wish to remain anonymous”. The organisers have received 1200 entries for this tournament.
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