Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former Australian cricketer Jamie Siddons as the new head coach of the the women's team. Siddons, a Level 3 qualified coach, will officially begin his one-year tenure on March 16, 2026.
Siddons takes over from outgoing coach Rumesh Ratnayake, who had quietly concluded his tenure at the end of 2025. And he will be building on some solid foundations.
Appointed in February 2023, Ratnayake oversaw the transformation of the women's team from bottom-of-the-table scrappers to a regularly competitive force.
While they remain a notch below top tier sides such as Australia and India in terms of consistency, under his guidance, Sri Lanka secured their best-ever return - a historic Asia Cup title in 2024, defeating India in the final.
The inconsistency of the side however was on display throughout his term, as the team struggled at the 2024 T20 World Cup, exiting in the group stage without a win. And despite other highs, including series wins against South Africa and England, the side seemed to have plateaud following a middling home 50-over home World Cup in October.
Siddons however will be taking over a youthful side in the midst of a good run of form, with them this month completing ODI and T20I series wins against West Indies.
His immediate focus will be preparing the squad for the Women's T20 World Cup set to be held in England this June. His first official assignment is a tour of Bangladesh in April-May.
He brings over two decades of high-level coaching experience to the role, most notably serving as the head coach of the Bangladesh men's side from 2007-2011, where he lead them to their first overseas Test series win against West Indies.
"Siddons has also served as Head Coach of the South Australia Cricket Team (Redbacks) from 2015 to 2020 and Head Coach of the Wellington Firebirds, New Zealand, from 2011 to 2015," added an SLC media release.
In his playing career Siddons was a prolific run-scorer in Australian domestic cricket, captaining both South Australia and Victoria, finishing his career with over 10,000 Sheffield Shield runs.