Samararatne takes over as Sri Lanka manager

APPOINTMENT: A senior Sri Lankan air force officer has been appointed as the new manager of the national cricket team, replacing Michael Tissera, a Sri Lanka Cricket official said Wednesday.

Air Vice Marshal Sriyan Samararatne, a strict disciplinarian, was picked after facing an interview panel Wednesday by Sri Lanka Cricket, the governing body of the sport here, an official told AFP.

Samararatne is on a two-year contract. He is a former first class cricketer who played with distinction for the air force and Moratuwa Sports Club as a wicket keeper in the premier club competition in the 1970s and 1980s.

Tissera, a former Sri Lanka captain from the island’s pre-Test era ended his managerial contract after the recent World Cup.

COLOMBO, Wednesday, AFP