The Sri Lanka’s Government Informational Department on Tuesday (24) stated that South African national Graham Ford has been named as Sri Lanka's new cricket coach, and the SLC confirmed his appointment officially.

It is said that Ford’s appointment as the fifth cricket coach of the Sri Lanka team since they lost the ICC World Cup, comes in as part of a series of changes aimed at improving the standard of the team.
 
Ford will replace Australian Geoff Marsh after Sri Lanka continued their bad form internationally and were made to struggle in South Africa.

Soon after the South African tour where they lost both the Test and ODI series, skipper TM Dilshan announced his desire to resign from captaincy.

Former captain Mahela Jayawardene was reappointed as skipper and his tenure begins with the Triangular Series in Australia.
 
Ford who took over South Africa after Bob Woolmer in 1999, moved to Kent as its Director of Cricket in 2004.

In 2006 he took over as coach of the South African domestic team from Durban, the Dolphins and last week announced that his resignation while mentioning his desire to coach at international level.
 
Ford on Tuesday had met the SLC officials. Ford’s appointment will replace former Australian Test opener Geoff Marsh who was sacked as Sri Lanka’s national coach in just a day prior.

Marsh's sacking came after Tillakaratne Dilshan quit his captaincy on Monday and former skipper Mahela Jayawardene was brought in to lead the team for the upcoming triangular one-day series with India.

"The executive committee of Sri Lanka Cricket takes this opportunity to wish ... the newly appointed coach Graham Ford the best of luck during their tenure with the national team," officials said in a statement.

"They also convey their gratitude to Geoff Marsh the outgoing national coach."

Ford, 51, is the fourth coach since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped aside after the World Cup final in April 2011.

Bayliss's assistant Stuart Law took over for the England series and quit to coach Bangladesh.

Sri Lankan pace bowler Rumesh Ratnayake took over for the home series against Australia and was replaced by Marsh.

There was no immediate comment from Marsh, who had a two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sri Lanka's sports minister last week named a four-member selection panel and gave them one year to put the team in order after the side lost Test and one-day series to England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa.

A former all-rounder, Ford quit as head coach of the Dolphins, the Durban-based franchise last week, and said he wanted to "follow my dreams of involvement at an international level".

Ford replaced Bob Woolmer in 1999 as South African coach, a post he held till 2001. He shifted to Kent as director of cricket in 2004, and returned home in 2006 to take charge of the Dolphins.

In June 2007, he famously turned down an offer to coach India, after being chosen to replace Australian Greg Chappell. In 2009, he withdrew his name as candidate to coach England.

Sri Lanka's team manager Anura Tennakoon was also replaced with former player Charith Senanayake.

Meanwhile,