Farbrace quits as Sri Lanka assistant coach
Sri Lanka's assistant coach is set to join Kent as head coach when his contract with SLC ends on August 20
Sa'adi Thawfeeq
31-Jul-2009
Paul Farbrace: "Sri Lanka cricket at the moment is looking very vibrant. The only disappointment is that they could not match their Test form in the one-dayers" • Associated Press
Paul Farbrace has announced that he will be quitting his post as Sri Lanka's assistant coach when his contract ends on August 20 to take up the position of head coach of Kent.
Farbrace explained that he was leaving because he got a better offer from Kent. "I was head of the academy and assistant coach of Kent when I joined the Sri Lanka team two years ago," Farbrace told Cricinfo. "But this offer from Kent to become their head coach is too good to miss.
"I will be taking a lot of fond memories with me being part of one of the finest cricket teams in the world today. I've enjoyed watching Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] break the world Test bowling record, Sri Lanka winning the Asia Cup in Pakistan and qualifying for the ICC World Twenty20 final in England."
Farbrace, who assisted Trevor Bayliss, played an important role in making Sri Lanka a winning unit in world cricket. "I've enjoyed working with Sanga [Sangakkara], Sunny [Sanath Jayasuriya], Mahela [Jayawardene], Murali and Vaasy [Vaas] and a host of up and coming youngsters like Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis and Thilan Thushara. Sri Lanka cricket at the moment is looking very vibrant. The only disappointment is that they could not match their Test form in the one-dayers."
Nishantha Ranatunga, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary, confirmed that he had received an email from Farbrace not wanting to renew his contract, and added: "We will discuss this matter at the next interim committee meeting on August 4."
Ranatunga denied that Farbrace's decision to quit came after the board decided to appoint the A team coach Chandika Hathurusingha as a shadow assistant coach to Bayliss in May.