BIPIN DANI
Former Sri Lankan top order batter Thilina Kandamby will make his debut as a "Specialised Coach" for the national team on Saturday.
On Friday, the 40-year-old Thilina Kandamby, who has played 39 ODIs and 5 T-20Is, was sent to New Zealand to be associated with the team and had its first training session with Dasun Shanaka and his white ball-team boys.
The first D/N ODI between the New Zealand and the visiting Sri Lankan teams will begin at the Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
Kandamby, who has reached New Zealand with the limited over-team members, will also stay with the T-20 squad.
Kandamby has been a successful coach with the Jaffna Kings team in the LPL and is also a coach for the junior boys in Sri Lanka.
"I retired at the age of 33 with the intention of becoming a coach", he had said in the video prepared by the JK team at the end of the LPL in 2022.
Former and current Sri Lankan players have praised him a lot and see him to be associated with the national team soon.
"I have known him for a long time and is a wonderful character and all players respect him", Jehan Mubarak said.
Dhananjaya de Silva, Avishka Fernando, Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana have all expressed their happiness and want him to be a regular coach for the senior team.
SLC's top management team has sent him to New Zealand with an eye on him to be with the seniors.
