Cricket Canada has appointed Pubudu
Dassanayake as the Canadian National
Men’s Cricket Team’s Head Coach.
The Sri Lankan-born Dassanayake has been
appointed to the position for an initial two-year
term commencing August 1, 2022.
Dassanayake will be with the Canadian team
for its matches during the forthcoming July
25-August 7 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge
League A. All matches in the Canada-hosted
round-robin tournament, which will be feature
the National teams of Denmark, Malaysia,
Qatar, Singapore, Vanuatu and hosts Canada
competing against each other in their ongoing
quest for qualification to next year’s 2023 ICC
World Cup, will be played at King City’s Maple
Leaf Cricket Club!
Pubudu Dassanayake was born on July 11, 1970,
in Kandy, Sri Lanka. As a right-handed wicketkeeper
batsman, he represented Sri Lanka
in 11 Test matches and 16 ODI’s during the
1993-1994 two-year period. After emigrating
to Canada, Dassanayake made his Canadian
international debut at the 2005 ICC World Cup.
He also represented Canada at the 2005 and
2006 editions of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
Dassanayake was until recently serving his second stint as Nepal’s Head Coach, a position from
which he’d officially announced his resignation on June 28, 2022. Dassanayake had initially coached
the Nepal National team from 2011 – 2015 during which he had achieved noteworthy successes.
Under Dassanayake’s coaching guidance Nepal had qualified for its maiden
ICC T20 World Cup appearance in 2014.
Dassanayake’s forthcoming August 1, 2022, assumption of the
Canadian Head Coach position will also be his second stint at
the helm of Canada’s National Men’s cricket team. After his
retirement from playing, Dassanayake was initially appointed as
Canadian National Head Coach in August 2007, having acted
in the position for several months prior.
Dassanayake oversaw Canada’s successful qualification
for the ICC 2011 World Cup, resigning almost
immediately after the tournament’s completion
to shortly thereafter take up his appointment
as Nepal’s Head Coach. Dassanayake was also
appointed US Head Coach in September 2016
but resigned in July 2019.
Dassanayake will take over the Canadian
National Men’s team coaching responsibilities
from interim Coach Amarinder Bhinder. The
South African-born Bhinder had served
as Canada’s Interim Head Coach since
November 2018.
Pubudu Dassanayake Back For As Canada’s National Men’s Head Coach!
