Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has clarified that the appointment of coaches Julian Wood and Rene Ferdinands will not affect the roles of Thilina Kandamby and Piyal Wijetunge. The board announced that the new coaches will operate with the men's team on a rotational basis.
SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said the coaching staff for each series will be decided by management, with the head coach and a few other members exempt from rotation.
"Across the board, there are national teams, no? So, on a rotational basis, tour by tour, we will decide who will be joining the teams. That's how the high-performance centre operates now. That does not mean each person would only work with a particular team. Other than the head coach and a few other members, the rest of them would be rotated," said de Silva, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Julian Wood joined SLC on a one-year contract after conducting a week-long power-hitting programme with the men's and women's squads. Players from both teams have praised his methods. Rene Ferdinands, a biomechanics expert, has previously worked with the BCCI's National Cricket Academy.
Thilina Kandamby has been Sri Lanka's batting coach since December 2023, while Piyal Wijetunge has served as the spin-bowling coach since February 2006. Both came under scrutiny after Sri Lanka’s T20I series defeat to Bangladesh.
De Silva further explained how coaches will operate as per management decisions. The SLC executive committee will decide which coach attends each tour:
"They work in the organisation, [it is] not that their contracts have been terminated. It doesn't matter wherever they have been assigned; they should be prepared to work. Even they [Wood and Ferdinands] have been designated the same way, so they would be working across the board. Depending on the tours, we, the ExCo [executive committee] will decide who should go on tour," he added.
Sri Lanka’s last assignment was the Asia Cup 2025. The team will next play a three-match ODI series against Pakistan, followed by a T20I tri-series in Pakistan involving Zimbabwe.