Cricket-Sri Lanka's Jayasuriya to step down, Pakistan's Agha weighs future


FILE PHOTO: Britain Cricket - Sri Lanka Nets - Lord's - 8/6/16 Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya/Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers Livepic/ File Photo

March 1 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Sanath ⁠Jayasuriya said he will step down as head coach, while Pakistan's Salman Agha ⁠said he will take time to decide whether to remain captain after both ‌teams' poor campaigns at the Twenty20World Cup.

Tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka made the Super Eights but the 2014 champion lost all three matches to finish at the bottom of Group Two.

"I thought it was time to give ​it (the job) to someone else," Jayasuriya said after their narrow ⁠defeat to Pakistan on Saturday.

"That's why ⁠about two months ago I'd said during the England series that I don't have hopes ⁠of ‌staying in the job for long. I'd taken this decision by then.

"I thought I'd be able to leave as coach on a good note in the ⁠World Cup. I wasn't able to do that as well ​as I'd like, and ‌I'm sad about that."

The former captain, whose contract runs until June, said he was ⁠yet to convey ​his decision to Sri Lanka Cricket.

"I haven't given SLC any news officially yet. They don't know that I am going to say this even.I will need to go and discuss with them."

It ⁠was an underwhelming tournament for Pakistan as well that ​included a comprehensive defeat at the hands of arch-rivals India in a group match.

Pakistan's middle order often did not click, while their slow bowlers could not make the most of the ⁠spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka where they played all their matches.

"We have underperformed in the whole tournament," captain Agha told reporters.

"We are out of the semis due to our failure in decision-making in pressure situations."

Agha said he and head coach Mike Hesson took full responsibility ​for their poor performance in a global multi-team event.

He was ⁠unhappy with his own form but said he was not in a hurry to take a ​call on whether to stay as Pakistan's white-ball captain.

"I ‌will go back and take some time to ​decide," the 32-year-old said.

"Because at this point of time stepping down would be an emotional decision."

(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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