Sri Lanka cricket beefs up coaching staff

Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) - Sri Lanka will have a new coaching staff in place from next week to prepare the team for the inaugural Twenty20 world championships in September, an official said on Tuesday. Australian Trevor Bayliss, who was appointed coach after Tom Moody resigned in May, trainer Jade Roberts and assistant coach Paul Fabrice will all arrive here by August 13.

"Bayliss and Roberts will arrive on August 11 with Paul coming in two days later," Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan told AFP.

Bayliss is a former New South Wales coach while Fabrice was serving on the staff of English county side Kent before being picked by Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan squad, led by Mahela Jayawardene, will train for the championships from August 20 before leaving for South Africa on September 5, Mathivanan said.

The 12-nation world championships will be played in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban from September 11-24. Sri Lanka are drawn with New Zealand and Kenya in group C of the premliminary league, with the top two advancing to the Super Eights round.