Sri Lanka Cricket Welcomes New Coaching Staff Ahead of Upcoming Challenges
Colombo [Sri Lanka], October 4: Sri Lanka Cricket has officially announced the hiring of Julian Wood as the batting coach and Rene Ferdinands as the spin-bowling coach for the men's national team. They will take over from Thilina Kandamby and Piyal Wijetunge, who previously held these positions.
Kandamby had been with the team as batting coach since December 2023, while Wijetunge had a long tenure as spin-bowling coach since February 2006. This change comes in light of Sri Lanka's disappointing performance in the T20I series against Bangladesh at home in July, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
Wood, who recently conducted a successful week-long "power-hitting program" with the national players, has been awarded a one-year contract. He had a brief stint as Bangladesh's batting coach on a short-term basis in August, but the board chose not to extend his contract after it ended in September.
According to a statement from Sri Lanka Cricket, "He [Wood] brings a wealth of experience, having previously worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Gloucestershire CCC, Hampshire CCC, Middlesex CCC, and IPL franchise Punjab Kings, among others."
Ferdinands has signed a two-year contract, where he will focus on leading spin bowling training, match preparation, performance analysis, and player development. He holds a PhD in biomechanics from the University of Waikato and has significant experience in applying scientific principles to improve cricket performance. Previously, he worked with the National Cricket Academy of India (NCA), providing biomechanics-based coaching programs for elite players and coaches. A specialist in wrist and finger spin, Ferdinands has also served as a biomechanics consultant for New Zealand Cricket, conducting performance evaluations and injury-risk assessments for top bowlers.
On the field, Sri Lanka recently participated in the Asia Cup, where they had a strong showing in the group stage. However, their performance took a downturn in the Super Fours, resulting in three consecutive losses and their exit from the tournament.