Graham Ford steps down as Sri Lanka head coach

Graham Ford has resigned as the Head Coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team, SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala confirmed today (24). 

Speculation had been rife since yesterday that the South African has stepped down after the team’s poor outing during the Champions Trophy in England. 

According to media reports, Nic Pothas, the fielding coach, is set to take over the duties for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting June 30. Sri Lanka will also play a one-off Test, starting July 14.

Ford took over as Sri Lanka’s coach in February last year and was in the job for 15 months. Under him, Sri Lanka whitewashed Australia 3-0 in the Test series but failed to progress beyond the first round in the World T20 2016 and the recently concluded Champions Trophy. 

Sri Lanka were whitewashed 3-0 in Tests and 5-0 in ODIs when they travelled to South Africa early this year. But the biggest blow came through in the form of team’s humiliating first ever Test defeat to Bangladesh.

Ford, 56, on his return from Champions Trophy had been involved in a few discussions with the top management at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and had indicated that he was unlikely to continue before leaving for his native South Africa on holiday.

Ford, who had previously coached South Africa, is believed to have expressed his reservations when SLC brought in former Test cricketer Asanka Gurusinha and deviated some of the functions of the Head Coach to the newly created position of Cricket Manager. 
The coach is also believed to have expressed his displeasure when SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala openly criticized him after Sri Lanka’s slow over rate during their first game of the Champions Trophy against South Africa. 

Sri Lanka took four hours and seven minutes to complete their 50 overs, 37 minutes more than the stipulated three and half hours. Stand-in captain Upul Tharanga received a two-match suspension.

At that point, there were rumours that Ford’s job was at stake.

Ford, who had a successful stint as Sri Lanka’s coach previously from 2012 to 2014, had declined renewing the contract on that occasion too. He joined English county Surrey and helped them to gain promotion to the top division of County Cricket.

When Ford was approached by SLC in December 2015 to take over the coaching job for a second time, he had declined the offer. Then SLC had got Kumar Sangakkara, Surrey’s overseas signing, to negotiate on their behalf and eventually Ford agreed for a three year tenure that would have taken him through to the 2019 World Cup.

-With inputs from agencies