New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Former Sri Lanka cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, who was the team’s head coach during their recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign, said members and officials of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the future plans after the co-hosts failed to make it to the semifinals of the marquee event.

“There's a meeting with Sri Lanka Cricket tomorrow. We'll discuss the future plans there. Sri Lanka played some of their games really well. I'll share more details when the meeting is done,” Jayasuriya told IANS on Monday.

Jayasuriya decided to step down as the team’s head coach after Sri Lanka's close defeat to Pakistan, which marked the end of their World Cup run. While he hadn't formally notified SLC of his decision, he mentioned that this World Cup would be his final role.

"I thought it was time to give it to someone else. That's why about two months ago I'd said during the England series that I don't have hopes of staying in the job for long. I'd taken this decision by then. I thought I'd be able to leave as coach on a good note in the World Cup. I wasn't able to do that as well as I'd like, and I'm sad about that,” the veteran had said after Sri Lanka’s last T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan.

Although Jayasuriya made up his mind to step down, he did not explicitly confirm he would do so immediately. Sri Lanka has a limited-overs series against Afghanistan scheduled to start on March 13, though that series is now at risk due to hostilities in West Asia. The board might want him to stay for that tour.

"My contract runs till June. I haven't given SLC any news officially yet. They don't know that I am going to say this either. I will need to go and discuss with them. If they can get somebody (as his replacement), then definitely (they should do that),” he had stated.

Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the T20 World Cup alongside India, had a disappointing campaign at the tournament, although playing at home, as they struggled to find consistency in both batting and bowling.

Sri Lanka, placed in a competitive group, struggled to gain momentum after early setbacks. They had won three out of four matches in the initial T20 World Cup group stage, including a notable victory over Australia, but injuries to key players Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana disrupted their progress, which led to a winless conclusion to their Super Eights campaign as they incurred losses against England, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

--IANS

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