Marvan Atapattu takes over as Sri Lanka head coach

Former captain Marvan Atapattu became Sri Lanka's first full-time local coach in 15 years after he was put in charge of the national cricket team on Wednesday. The executive committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has "unanimously approved and appointed" Atapattu with immediate effect, the SLC said in a statement without revealing terms and tenure of the appointment some five months before next year's 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Following the resignation of Englishman Paul Farbrace in April, 43-year-old Atapattu was named the interim coach of the team which went on to win a test series in England and a test and one-day series at home against Pakistan. Atapattu, who played 90 tests and 268 one-dayers from 1990-2007, joined the Sri Lankan support staff in 2011 as a batting coach and was made Graham Ford's deputy in 2013.

Roy Dias was the last Sri Lankan to coach the team full-time in 1999 before SLC began its experiments with foreigners. Sri Lanka will host England for seven one-day internationals beginning on Nov. 26.