Former Sri Lankan opening batsman Roshan Mahanama has been appointed asmanager and head coach of the Sri Lankan A team and Development squad

Rex Clementine19-Sep-2001Former Sri Lankan opening batsman Roshan Mahanama has been appointed asmanager and head coach of the Sri Lankan A team and Development squad.Former wicket-keeper batsman Hemantha Devapriya, who has successfully coachedthe squad since South Africa toured Sri Lanka in July 1998, will workalongside Mahanama and also take over full control of the Under 17 squad.Speaking to CricInfo this morning Mahanama said: “I am happy to get involvedwith the game again and looking forward to working with Hemantha (Devapriya)to impart the knowledge given to me by the game during my playing days.”Mahanama, still just 35 years old, retired from international cricket afterthe 1999 World Cup, when he was summarily axed by the selectors who went onto pursue a forward looking youth policy.Since then Mahamana played a season of club cricket in Australia, haswritten a controversial autobiography that accused fast bowler Glen McGrathof calling Sanath Jayasuriya a `Black Monkey’ in Australia and helped set-upand manage Sri Lanka’s first ever players association.He also worked in the ICC Development Programme where he became Bangladesh’sfielding coach for a short period.Mahanama, who made his Test debut in 1985, represented Sri Lanka in 52 TestMatches and 213 One Day Internationals. He also captained Sri Lanka in a trination one-day tournament in 1994, in Sharjah.He has been appointed for a two-year term.