Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood stepped down from his position on Thursday following the Asian side’s dismal ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. The former England pacer cited personal reasons for his resignation from the post which he held since April 2022. “Being an international coach means long periods away from loved ones. After lengthy conversations with my family and with a heavy heart, I feel it is now time for me to return home and spend some quality time together,” said Silverwood. “I would like to thank the players, coaches, backroom staff, and management of the SLC for their support during my time in Sri Lanka. Without your support, none of the success would have been possible.” Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup 2022 under Silverwood’s tenure and reached the final of the 2023 edition, where they were decimated by India.

The Asian side also defeated Australia in a home ODI series, however, they failed to reach the knockout stage of any of the ICC tournaments with Chris Silverwood at the helm. They were eliminated from the Super 12s in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022, meanwhile, in the ODI World Cup in 2023, they were knocked out from the group stage. The abovementioned campaigns were followed by a disastrous T20 World Cup 2024, where Sri Lanka lost their group stage matches against South Africa and Bangladesh while their fixture against Nepal was washed out. They were officially eliminated after Bangladesh defeated the Netherlands and qualified for the Super 8s stage.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan