Australia appoint Thilan Samaraweera as consultant coach

Thilan Samaraweera, former Sri Lankan cricketer, has been appointed as Australia’s consultant coach ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka, scheduled in July.

Samaraweera, who has featured in 81 Tests and 53 One-Day Internationals for his country in a 15-year-long career, has been signed up primarily to work with the next generation of cricketers at the National Performance Squad.

Three members of Australia’s Test squad – Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges and Jackson Bird – decided to fine-tune their skills at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane where they’ve had interactions with the ex-Sri Lankan batsman and part-time off-spinner in their bid to get a low down on what to expect in the sub-continental conditions.

“We’re up in Brisbane for the week to do our training here, get outdoors, have a hit on the turf and really start the preparation for Sri Lanka. I’ve had a hit on the spin wicket here and it’s very good, very similar to what you get on the subcontinent and it was a challenging net session.

Samaraweera was throwing a few offies as well, and it’s been really good to chat to him and get a bit of an insight into the sort of conditions we’ll be facing in the next couple of months,” Marsh was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.

“He’s been helping with advice on how to play spin, he’s good to chat about that with and get his views,” Marsh added.