Sri Lanka Cricket today announced that Jerome Jayaratne would be apponted the Manager of the Sri Lanka cricket team for the upcoming tour of West Indies.

Jayaratne will replace Asantha De Mel who stepped down as the Manager of the team during the tournament against England in the wake of serious allegations over breach of discipline by players.

Jerome Lee Jayaratne, a forner first-class cricketer, began his career in cricket administration in 1997, when he began coaching his Alma Mater, St. Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia, who went on to win one Royal-Thomian and draw three more under his wings. Jayaratne also coached the Colombo Cricket Club in 1996 having played for the CCC for 10 years, leading them to be winners of Division I Premier League Championship.

Jayaratne is also a close relative of Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. Jayaratne's daughter Tatyana Lee Jayaratne is married to Rohitha Rajapaksa, the younger brother of the Sports Minister and the son of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

During the tournament against England, Rajapaksa, the Sports Minister, made a bold remark that some "stern decisions" would be made to rectify the cricket administration given the setback suffered by the Sri Lankan cricket team during the series.