The head coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team Paul Farbrace has decided to leave his post and take up the assistant coach’s job for his native country, England.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that Farbrace officially informed his decision to the SLC executive committee on Tuesday morning.
Only on Monday, SLC had expressed optimism that the former Kent player would stay on with Sri Lanka despite offers from the England and Wales Cricket Board to become the deputy for Peter Moores.
Farbrace was at the helm when Sri Lanka won the World T20 title earlier this month by beating India in the final. He had earlier guided Sri Lanka to win the Asia Cup and emerge triumphant in the Test and ODI series in Bangladesh.
Farbrace, who had previously served as Sri Lanka’s assistant coach, took up the head coach’s role only at the end of 2013.
Trevor Bayliss left the job after the 2011 World Cup, leaving the Australian Stuart Law as the interim coach. Law was succeeded by the Sri Lankan Rumesh Ratnayeke until the arrival of the Australian Geoff Marsh.
The former Aussie opening batsman was sacked by Sri Lanka and the SLC incurred severance pay as Marsh filed legal action for unfair dismissal.
He was replaced by Graham Ford, who quit the job to join the English county side Surrey. Farbrace was his successor.
SLC sources said Farbrace was still under a period of probation and his contract was suppose to run until the end of 2015.
