Thilan Samaraweera roped in to assist New Zealand during Sri Lanka Tests

Image Courtesy: New Zealand Cricket official website

Former Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samaraweera has been roped in by the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to assist the national team as they prepare to begin their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign against Sri Lanka, beginning August 14 in Galle. 

Expressing delight over the appointment of Samaraweera in the coaching staff, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that the Sri Lankan great would bring in experience to the group and that his knowledge of Sri Lankan conditions will be invaluable.

“We’re delighted to welcome Thilan into our environment for the Test phase of the tour.His knowledge of Sri Lankan conditions will be invaluable and he’ll offer great assistance to Peter Fulton on his first tour," the NZC said. 

“Having an extra support coach worked really well for us at the World Cup where we had Luke Ronchi on board, and we’re sure Thilan will also offer a lot to the group," Stead said. 

42-year-old Samaraweera, who bid adieu to the international cricket in 2013, had previously served as the batting coach of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka besides also worked as fielding coach of Team Kolkata in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

During his 12-year-long international career, Samaraweera appeared in a total of 81 Test matches scoring 5,462 runs besides also featuring in 53 ODIs amassing 862 runs. He also notched up 14 centuries in the longest format of the game, with his top score of 231 coming up against Pakistan in Karachi.