Sri Lanka Cricket names ex‑player Tillakaratne as senior men’s batting mentor

Sri Lanka Cricket released a statement on Friday appointing former skipper Hashan Tillakaratne as the batting coach for the Senior Men’s National Programme. The 59‑year‑old left‑handed veteran, a member of the 1996 World Cup‑winning squad, featured in 83 Tests and 200 ODIs, accumulating 8,334 runs before retiring in 2004.

Tillakaratne’s coaching experience spans roles as senior men’s batting coach, women’s national team head coach, Bangladesh women’s head coach, and national selector. He will operate from the National High Performance Centre, focusing on the development of senior male players.

His standout Test performance came in 2001 with a 136* at Colombo’s Sri Sumangala College (SSC) ground against India – a venue that will host the second Test of the series beginning Sunday.