US Head Coach steps down prior to T20 World Cup Qualifiers

United States head coach Pubudu Dassanayake will step down from his role effective immediately USA Cricket announced via media release today.

The former Sri Lankan and Canadian international will leave the US after four years in the role taking the country from World Cricket League Division Four to achieving ODI status in his time with the United States during World Cricket League Two earlier in the year.

The USA Cricket board announced that a new advisory committee of coaches would replace Dassanayake. Former Indian vice-captain Kiran More leads the committee as senior operations advisor with a number of former professional cricketers joining the committee in specialist coaching roles. Former Australian bowling coach David Saker and Sunil Joshi the spin bowling coach for Bangladesh at the 2019 world cup will combine to be fast and spin bowling coaches respectively.

Whilst former West Indian batsmen Kieran Powell will join former India U-19 coach Pravin Amre as batting coaches while former New Zealander domestic cricketer James Pamment will join the US as a fielding coach.

The press release mentioned that the previously mentioned specialist coaches have been employed on a short-term basis which leads the question that perhaps the advisory coaching board may be a temporary measure whilst the US search for a permanent head coach.

The decision is an interesting one by the US cricket board given the North American T20 qualifiers taking place in Bermuda next month however the advisory committee does bring a set up with mountains of coaching experience at international level.

The US will face Bermuda, Canada and the Cayman Islands in the tournament with two teams going through to the main qualifying tournament in the UAE in October.