Former England head coach Silverwood takes Sri Lanka role

Former England head coach Chris Silverwood has been appointed as the head coach of Sri Lanka's men's team for two years, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Saturday.

The island country has been without a full-time head coach since South African Mickey Arthur stepped down late last year.

"I am very excited to be on board with Sri Lanka and I cannot wait to get over to Colombo and get started," Silverwood said in an SLC statement.

"They have a talented and passionate group of players and I am really looking forward to meeting up with the players and coaching staff very soon."

Silverwood stepped down from his England position in February after the team lost the five-test Ashes series in Australia 4-0.

His first assignment with the Sri Lankan team will be a two-test series in Bangladesh next month.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by Hugh Lawson)