The new cricket coach was confirmed by the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka Upali Dharmadasa at a press briefing held at the BCCSL headquarters on Friday night.
Upali Dharmadasa said that there had been a lot of speculation about who was going to be the next coach. ''The BCCSL has appointed Bruce Yardley as national cricket coach from January 20, 1997 on a two-and-half-year contract. He has gone through a coaching course as well and we are really happy to announce his appointment,'' said Dharmadasa.
The conditions will be like any other normal contract. ''His fee, I think, we should not divulge. It is not not correct. We are getting for a reasonable figure which could be afforded by the BCCSL. His accommodation will be provided by the Board and also transport as it was provided previously,'' said Dharmadasa.
Answering a question whether Bruce Yardley will be paid more than Dave Whatmore, Dharmadasa said that the fee will be 25% more than what Dave Whatmore was paid.
Will Bruce Yardley be allowed to speak to the press? Why was Dave Whatmore not given permission to speak to the press? Dharmadasa said that the Board has not disallowed Whatmore to speak to the press. The Board gave Whatmore permission to speak to the press. So, Bruce Yardley will have the freedom to speak to the press, said Dharmadasa. This is an on-going thing which the previous Board also did.
What is Yardley's background? Dharmadasa said that Yardley has played 218 club matches taking 512 wickets and scoring 5124 runs. He has played 99 Sheffield Shield matches, taking 333 wickets at an average of 27.9 and has scored 2600 runs with an average of 27.9. Yardley played 33 Test matches, taking 126 wickets, 31.6 average and scored 978 runs, average 19.56. He was voted the International Cricketer of the Year in 1982.
Dharmadasa further said that Yardley is running his own firm and has said that he is delighted to come to work with the world cricket champions.
Did the Board consider any other coaches? Dharmadasa said that they were considering more than four persons but it was not proper to disclose the names.
''The media came up with names such as Bob Simpson, Alan Lamb and even a unknown name like Eddie Balan. Lot of names sprung up like that but the fact remains that we have been speaking to lot of people and finally selected Bruce Yardley'', Dharmadasa said and added that once the Board got the final 'okay' from Yardley, the Board had a chat with the cricket manager, the chairman of selectors on this issue, and officially appointed Yardley as the coach.
What is the position of Asanka Gurusinha. Will he be called to the national pool in preparation for the New Zealand tour in late February. Dharmadasa said that it all depends on the selectors.