Sri Lanka U19 cricket team appoints new head coach

Sri Lanka's U19 cricket team has appointed a new head coach as they prepare for the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in 2026. The former Sri Lanka player will oversee the team's training and development leading up to the tournament. Sri Lanka is already qualified for the World Cup, joining nine other teams that also secured their spots. These include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the West Indies. Five more teams will qualify through regional tournaments. The new coach, Silva, has a solid background in cricket. He played for Sri Lanka for 12 years, participating in the 2007 and 2011 ICC Men’s World Cups, where the team was a finalist. He played 75 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 11 Test matches, and 16 T20 Internationals, scoring a total of 2,269 runs. Before this appointment, Silva coached at various clubs, including the Police Sports Club and Bloomfield Cricket Club. His extensive playing and coaching experience is expected to benefit the U19 team.