Colombo, Jan 28 (TIWN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has appointed Jerome Jayaratne as the 'national team manager' for the team's upcoming tour of West Indies.

Jayaratne was appointed as the present team manager Asantha De Mel has decided to step down from the position due to personal reasons, effective from the end of the England tour of Sri Lanka.  Jayaratne previously held the position of Chief Operations Officer at the SLC. He also functioned as the interim coach of the national team on a number of overseas tours and most recently served as a consultant to the national team.  Sri Lanka on Monday suffered a 0-2 Test series defeat against England in Galle. West Indies, on the other hand, are currently in Bangladesh. They suffered a 0-3 loss in ODIs and will next play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh beginning February 3.