Sanath Jayasuriya resigns as Sri Lanka coach, Salman Ali Agha weighs captaincy future

ISLAMABAD: Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has announced his resignation after a disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup, while Pakistan captain Salman Agha has said he will take time to decide whether to continue as the captain.

Sri Lanka, the joint hosts of the T20 World Cup, reached the Super Eight stage, but the 2014 champions lost all three of their matches in Group Two to finish bottom of the points table.

After Saturday’s sensational defeat against Pakistan, Jayasuriya said it was time to hand over the reins to someone else. According to him, he had come to this conclusion two months ago and had also hinted during the series against England that he would not be in the position for long.

He said he wanted the team to perform well in the World Cup so that he could leave on a good note, but that did not happen, which he regrets. Jayasuriya’s contract is till June, but he clarified that he has not yet formally informed Sri Lanka Cricket of his decision and will consult with the board officials soon.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s tournament has also not lived up to expectations. Apart from the heavy defeat in the group match at the hands of arch-rivals India, the team’s middle order could not perform effectively under pressure in other matches as well. Pakistani slow bowlers could not take much advantage of Sri Lanka’s spin-producing wickets.

Talking to reporters, Salman Ali Agha admitted that the team could not perform to its potential throughout the tournament. He said that the team was out of the semi-final race due to mistakes in decisions made under pressure.

He said that he and head coach Mike Hesson accept full responsibility for the poor performance in the global event. The captain also expressed dissatisfaction with his form, but made it clear that he would not immediately decide to step down as captain.

According to 32-year-old Salman Ali Agha, resigning at this stage would be an emotional decision, so he will make a final announcement only after reflection and consideration after returning home.