SLC asks Minister for extension on coaching directive

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has requested Sports Minister Harin Fernando for an extension till the upcoming New Zealand series to carry out the directives issued by him regarding the change of coaching staff of the national team.

SLC today said that it had made the request to the Minister after a meeting held with Fernando today.

The Minister had last week issued a directive to SLC to not issue extensions to coaches attached to the national team who were contracted up to the end of the Cricket World Cup last month, while renegotiating with coaches whose tenure was yet to expire.

If granted the extension will see Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha remain in the role for at least one more series despite the protracted speculation of his future with the national team.

Hathurusingha, who has 16 months left on the contract he signed in 2018, has had questions about his future in the role since late last year, with a clause in the coach's contract necessitating SLC to make a huge payoff in order to remove him.

Following the request, the Minister had, in turn, asked SLC to inform him how they intend to remove the head coach.

"After they made this request, I gave them 24 hours to get back to me with a plan on how they hope to replace Hathurusingha and whom they hope to replace him with," the Minister told the Daily Mirror today.