Colombo, August 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Sri Lanka captain and 1996 ODI World Cup winner Hashan Tillakaratne has been appointed batting coach of the country’s senior men’s programme, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Friday.
The 59-year-old former left-handed batter took charge at the SLC National High Performance Centre on August 20, with his contract running until December 31, 2027.
“Tillakaratne brings extensive coaching and administrative experience to the National High-Performance Centre setup in Colombo,” SLC said in a statement.
Tillakaratne represented Sri Lanka from 1989 to 2003, featuring in 83 Tests and 200 ODIs. He scored more than 8,200 international runs across the two formats, including 8,334 runs according to SLC.
He has previously served as batting coach of the Sri Lanka men’s national team and head coach of the Sri Lanka women’s team. He has also coached the Bangladesh women’s national team and recently completed a coaching stint in the United States.
Tillakaratne’s coaching career has been complemented by administrative experience, including a stint as a national selector. He has also worked with senior, Under-19 and women’s teams in different capacities.
During his playing career, he captained Sri Lanka in 11 Tests and was part of the team that won the 1996 Men’s ODI World Cup.
One of his finest Test performances came against India in 2001, when he scored an unbeaten 136 in the third Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The same venue will host the second Test between Sri Lanka and India beginning on Sunday.
SLC said Tillakaratne will work with national players as part of the senior men’s programme while being based at the National High Performance Centre.
FOLLOW NOW
