The former captain of Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawene has been appointed as a national team consultant for the first round of the T20 World Cup next month, said the country’s Cricket Board.
Jayawardene, the second highest scorer in Sri Lanka in the cricket test after Kumar Sangakkara, will join the team in the United Arab Emirates after the Indian Premier League, where he is the coach of the Head of Indian Mumbai.
The T20 World Cup will be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17.
Sri Lanka, led by Dasun Shanaka, was in Group A and began their World Cup campaign against Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
Ireland and the Netherlands are other teams in groups.
Jayawardene, 44, will also be a consultant and mentor for the Under-19 Sri Lanka team for five months when they are preparing for the World Cup next year.
“We were very happy to welcome Mahela into his new role, because of his presence with the Sri Lankan team and the U-19 team would greatly help players,” said Ashley de Silva, chief executive Sri Lanka Cricket.
Sri Lanka won the T20 World Cup in 2014 after beating India in the final but failed to make him go beyond the group stage in the last edition in 2016.