Sri Lanka qualified for the Super 4s in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2025.
It was not a long time ago, that Julian Wood, former batting coach for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) spoke about the batting prowess of Sri Lanka. In an interview during the Asia Cup 2025, Wood made certain observations about batters from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, suggesting points where they could improve.
The Sri Lankan Cricket Board have appointed Wood as the batting coach for the men’s team. He has formerly been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 runners-up’ camp, and certainly knows a thing or two about power-hitting. The board believes that Wood’s addition to the side will act as a catalyst in their development as a team.
To add to that, the Asian team has also hired the services of Rene Ferdinands, who will be onboarded as the spin-bowling coach. Ferdinands is a former cricketer from New Zealand, and has played a solitary First-class game for Northern Districts in 1998/99. Till September 2023, he worked in the University of Sydney where he researched about Sports Biomechanics.
Considering the way they look at how the game is played, both Wood and Ferdinands will have a huge impact on the Sri Lankan team. Having said that, they will replace Thilina Kandamby and Piyal Wijetunge in the respective roles.
While Kandamby had been at the helm of Sri Lanka’s batting since December 2023, Wijetunge was the spin-bowling coach for the Lankan Lions since February 2006, having served for a period of 19 years. However, it is understood that the decision to appoint new coaches for both the roles was taken on the back of Sri Lanka’s series defeat against Bangladesh at home in July this year.
“He [Wood] brings a wealth of experience, having previously worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Gloucestershire CCC, Hampshire CCC, Middlesex CCC, and IPL franchise Punjab Kings, among others”, an Sri Lanka Cricket media release commented.
The former Punjab Kings coach has been handed a one-year contract. A few months ago, the batting coach had conducted a ‘power-hitting program’ for the Sri Lankan team, and has impressed the board during his stint with the side. Moreover, in August, he was appointed as Bangladesh’s batting coach for a short-term, but the board did not wish to continue his stint.
Right through his coaching career, Wood is known to have helped a lot of teams find their explosiveness, especially in the shorter formats of the game. During his stint with the Sri Lankan side, the board will expect the same out of the established batting coach.
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The 56-year-old, who is expected to be at the helm of spin-bowling will have a much more extensive role as compared to his colleague. Ferdinands has been handed a two-year contract with the team. He will be expected to lead spin bowling training, match preparation, performance analysis, and player development throughout his tenure.
The main objective for the association to get Ferdinands on board is his ability to blend science to enhance cricket performance. He was previously at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, working closely on biomechanics-based programs for elite players and coaches. Moreover, he has also served as a biomechanics consultant for New Zealand Cricket.
“Holding a PhD in biomechanics from the University of Waikato, Ferdinands brings extensive expertise in applying science to enhance cricket performance”, the media release stated.
Wood has mentioned that Sri Lanka had a lot to improve in terms of their power-hitting, especially towards the later stages in the game. To add to that, their spinners have consistently faced roadblocks while bowling on flat tracks. The board will hope that the newly appointed duo will help the team scale newer heights, especially with an all-important T20 World Cup on the horizon.
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