Mickey Arthur likely to become Sri Lanka’s next head coach

Although Chandika Hathurusingha has not yet been officially fired, Mickey Arthur is likely to be the next chief director of Sri Lanka.

Arthur has not signed a contract with Sri Lanka Cricket so far, but board officials expressed confidence that Arthur will assume that role before Sri Lanka's test trip to Pakistan, which begins on December 11. SLC has been looking for a new coach since the end of the World Cup and reached out to several celebrities, including former British batting coach Mark Ramprakash. But they now believe Arthur is the person who leads the team.

"We are discussing with Mickey," said Ashley de Silva, SLC president. "We think we can reach an agreement."

Arthur has been teaching South Africa and Australia in the past, but it was his result that impressed SLC in Pakistan from 2016 to 2019, De Silva said.

"He won the 2017 Champions Trophy with Pakistan and took Pakistan 1st in the T20. He is a famous coach and has been around for a while."

Arthur was a coach from Pakistan until the end of the World Cup and was disappointed that he could get out of the role after this year's tournament. During his time with Pakistan, he is understood to have a good partnership with Steve Rickson, Sri Lanka's current defense coach.

But Hathurusingha, who currently has a contract with SLC until December 2020, still seems to be receiving board salaries. SLC decided to discontinue Hathurusingha's role in August of this year, but the contract was so strong that it was difficult to plunder him without paying significant severance pay.

The SLC claimed that Hatu Russ Ha had some serious shortcomings, including a lack of getting along with some senior players during his tenure, and even scheduled Ha Turu Ha Ha's request to attend. Despite all this, legal containment continues.

If Arthur rides as a Sri Lankan coach, he will be the 11th coach of the men's team, including temporary appointments from 2011. Former coaches Graeme Ford and Hathurusingha were under pressure to end their term long before the contract expired.