Ex-Sri Lanka captain Shashikala Siriwardene begins new chapter as coach in Australia
New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) After spending nearly two decades representing Sri Lanka on the international stage, former captain Shashikala Siriwardene is finding a different kind of fulfilment in cricket, working with young players at Plenty Valley Cricket Club in Victoria as she begins her journey as a full-time coach.
Her transition from international player to coach has taken her to Melbourne’s northern suburbs, where the former allrounder is concentrating on developing the next generation of women cricketers. Having previously combined leadership and coaching responsibilities with playing, the 2026-27 season marks her first campaign dedicated entirely to coaching.
“I’m at Plenty Valley Cricket Club in Victoria as the coach of the women’s teams. It is my first year purely as a coach. I was a captain-coach last year so this is my first season not playing,” Siriwardene told cricket.com.au.
Siriwardene’s credentials extend well beyond her experience as a leader. She remains the only Sri Lankan cricketer to have scored more than 1,000 runs and taken at least 100 wickets in women’s ODIs, finishing her career in the format with 2,029 runs and 124 wickets.
Her international journey began in 2003, at a time when women’s cricket in Sri Lanka operated without the Sri Lanka Cricket Board’s direct administration. Over the years, she witnessed the sport’s transformation into a more structured and increasingly professional environment.
“When I started, there were like six clubs, with maybe 200 to 400 players involved. Since then, we have seen a lot of growth, with new structures and systems in place to keep cricket growing and even keeping retired players within the game through different avenues.”
Her final international appearance came at the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Melbourne. Rather than stepping away from the sport after retirement, Siriwardene began exploring coaching opportunities, completing her Level 2 coaching qualification and gaining experience with Sri Lanka’s Under-19 women’s team ahead of the inaugural Under-19 Women’s World Cup.
“After I retired, I started doing my Level 2 coaching and wanted to get more involved. I was able to work with the Under 19 Sri Lankan team before the inaugural Under 19 Women’s World Cup and really enjoyed it. I wanted to keep growing my experience, so I moved to Australia to learn more as I was forming my coaching career,” she said.
Australia offered her an opportunity to understand the game from a different perspective. She joined Wynnum-Manly in Brisbane as a player and assistant coach, allowing her to experience the country’s club cricket structure while beginning to establish herself in coaching.
“When I moved here, I thought that because it is a new atmosphere, I should experience it from the ground up, so that meant experiencing cricket in Australia as a player,” Siriwardene said.
“I really enjoyed it. I realised that I still have cricket in me. It was tough moving to a new country with a lot of my family back in Sri Lanka but the cricket helped a lot, it was competitive and very enjoyable,” she added.
Her Australian journey subsequently brought her to Melbourne’s Box Hill Cricket Club in 2024. A year later, she joined Plenty Valley as captain-coach, before relinquishing her playing responsibilities for the current season.
At Plenty Valley, her priorities centre on balancing competitive ambitions with the long-term development of young cricketers.
“We have a lot of young players at our club, so for me it has been focusing on development, but also on results. We are wanting to play to win but also develop our young players and really create a strong culture for these girls,” she stated.
Siriwardene’s decision to pursue coaching also reflects a broader shift in women’s cricket, where former international players are increasingly taking up roles that allow them to contribute to the sport beyond their playing careers. Australia’s Shelley Nitschke and England’s Charlotte Edwards are among those leading their respective national teams, while former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has moved into coaching the men’s game.
For Siriwardene, passing on her experience is an important part of ensuring the progress made in women’s cricket continues.
“There are huge opportunities now for past players to stay in the game, whether it be through coaching or other paths. It’s very important for us to give back to the game. We have been playing for generations and need to continue to grow women’s cricket and teach the younger players coming through. If even one young girl can learn from us and it helps them, then that makes it important, no matter the level. We need to give back what we gain from cricket,” she mentioned.
Although she has ambitions to move into coaching at a higher level, Siriwardene is approaching the early stages of her new career with an emphasis on learning and enjoying the process. A future role with an Australian state side or the Sri Lankan national team remains an aspiration, but her immediate focus is on the players she works with every day.
“I love coaching, love helping our players and seeing them improve. It gives me a lot of satisfaction. I want to keep coaching for as long as I can, no matter what level. I would eventually love to coach at the state level in Australia, or even coach Sri Lanka one day. But right now, I’m still learning; I’ll never stop learning, but I am really enjoying myself and happy to just be involved in the game.”
For a cricketer whose international career spanned 17 years, the next phase is about building something different: helping young players find their footing in a sport that has changed considerably since she first took the field.
–IANS
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