Sanath Jayasuriya signs as coach at Mulgrave

Sri Lanka great Sanath Jayasuriya will coach in Melbourne next season after putting pen to paper with an ambitious Eastern Cricket Association club.

Jayasuriya will lead Mulgrave, which had already signed Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga as players in a fruitful off-season recruiting campaign.

Jayasuriya is the latest former international star to land at Mully, with the decorated World Cup winner signing on for one season with the option to extend his stay.

Jayasuriya and Dilshan were teammates in the Sri Lanka Legends’ side earlier this year, which helped seal the coup.

“It’s exciting. We’ve been having a chat to him for a while through obviously Dilshan as a contact. They caught up during the legends series and started having a few discussions,” Mulgrave president Malin Pullenayegam said.

“Dilshan opened the door for us there, and it was a fantastic opportunity that was presented to us. We just had to work on it and come to an agreement, and we have.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for our young guys to know what international cricket standards are.”

The 51-year-old is the fourth highest run-scorer in one-day international, his relentless assaults on bowlers during the 1996 World Cup living long in the memories of ardent cricket fans as he was crowned player of the tournament.

(Source: Herald Sun)