Sri Lanka name Nic Pothas as interim head coach

Colombo, June 29 (Cricketnmore) Following Graham Ford's exit, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed former South African wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas as their side's interim coach.

Ford stepped down as Sri Lanka coach on Saturday, ending his second tenure with the side after 15 months.

Later Pothas was revealed as the head coach on Thursday. He will mentor Sri Lanka in the upcoming five-match One-day International (ODI) series and one-off Test series against Zimbabwe, starting from Friday.

Pothas in his career had featured in three ODIs and 218 first-class matches. He has scored 11,438 runs in the first class format.

SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala expressed confidence in the newly-appointed coach in a statement released by the board.

"Graham Ford was a superb coach and we are grateful to him for his services. At the same time, we have the fullest confidence in Nick Pothas to tackle the job during the Zimbabwe and India tours," Sumathipala said.