Sri Lanka Cricket has moved quickly after July’s home T20 defeat to Bangladesh, handing the men’s batting brief to Julian Wood and the spin portfolio to Dr Rene Ferdinands. Wood has signed for a year, Ferdinands for two. They replace Thilina Kandamby and the long-serving Piyal Wijetunge.
Wood is already a familiar face in the set-up. Back in February he ran a one-week “power-hitting programme” with the national squad, a stint the board clearly liked. More recently he spent a short spell with Bangladesh – that deal wasn’t renewed once it finished in September – so his diary was clear. “He [Wood] brings a wealth of experience, having previously worked with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Gloucestershire CCC, Hampshire CCC, Middlesex CCC, and IPL franchise Punjab Kings, among others,” stated an SLC media release.
Ferdinands arrives with a heavier academic slant. A former first-class seamer in New Zealand, he later completed a PhD in biomechanics and has advised the NCA in Bengaluru as well as New Zealand Cricket. “Holding a PhD in biomechanics from the University of Waikato, Ferdinands brings extensive expertise in applying science to enhance cricket performance,” the release continued. He is expected to oversee spin-bowling training, match preparation and those inevitable video-driven performance reviews.
The shake-up ends Kandamby’s 22-month spell in charge of the batters and closes a remarkable 19-year run for Wijetunge, who first signed on as spin coach in 2006. Both departures were described internally as “part of an ongoing review” rather than a reactionary cull, though the timing points to a need for fresh thinking.
Statistics back that up. Over the past decade Sri Lanka’s scoring rate in white-ball cricket has hovered in the bottom third of the major nations, while their spinners have looked toothless on flatter tracks outside the island. Wood’s focus on generating boundary options – he once branded his approach “science-backed slogging”, half in jest – should, in theory, address the first issue. Ferdinands, with his lab-coat-meets-nets background, will try to coax greater variety and revs from a young spin brigade that relies heavily on the reliable but predictable Prabath Jayasuriya.
Both men join in time for November’s limited-overs tour of South Africa. Their impact, good or bad, is unlikely to be hidden for long.
