Marvan Atapattu resigns as Sri Lanka head coach following India defeat

Colombo: Former Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu on Thursday resigned from the post of head coach of the national cricket team following its recent 1-2 Test series defeat against India, the country’s cricket board announced. Atapattu’s resignation comes after the island nation lost back-to-back Test series against continental neighbours Pakistan and India in the last three months. Atapattu’s resignation has been accepted by Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim chief Sidath Wettimuny. [caption id=“attachment_2420292” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu (L) and captain Angelo Matthews. AFP[/caption] “We would like to inform you of the resignation of Mr. Marvan Atapattu from the post of Head Coach of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team which has been accepted by Sri Lanka Cricket,” the SLC said in a statement. Atapattu, one of Sri Lanka’s batting mainstay during his playing days, had held the position of head coach from October 2014 after Paul Farbrace took over as England’s assistant coach. He had also worked as a batting coach of the team from 2011 and was also the interim head coach for some time before he was assigned full charge. “Mr. Atapattu was appointed to this position in October 2014, previously serving as the Batting Coach to the team from 2011 and as Interim Head Coach for a brief period from April 2014 after Mr.Paul Farbrace resigned,” the SLC said. SLC thanked Attapattu for his service to the national team. “During this time, he has given his time and service with the same professionalism that was his hallmark as an international cricketer. The high point of his career as coach must be the series victory against England in England in May/June 2014, when the Sri Lanka Cricket Team excelled in all departments of the game to gain that coveted triumph,” it said. “Sri Lanka Cricket thanks Mr. Atapattu for his efforts as Head Coach and Batting Coach of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team, and we wish him every success in all his future endeavors,” the Board said. According to reports, SLC is likely to approach former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusinghe for the post of chief coach as he has done remarkably well with the Bangladesh national side. Apart from guiding them to the quarter-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Bangladesh team beat Pakistan, India and South Africa in three successive ODI series. The other name that is doing rounds is of Graham Ford. The 44-year-old Atapattu has played 90 Test matches and 268 ODIs for Sri Lanka scoring 5502 and 8529 runs respectively. PTI