NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka has named Australian Stuart Law as its interim coach for this year's tour of England following Trevor Bayliss's departure after Saturday's World Cup final defeat by India. “We have requested Law to take over as coach for the England tour until we finalise our headhunt for Trevor Bayliss' successor,” Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. Australian Bayliss stood down after four years in the job. Kumar Sangakkara resigned as captain of the limited-overs team but will carry on as Test skipper until a replacement is found. His deputy Mahela Jayawardene also quit after the World Cup and the four-member selection panel headed by former captain Aravinda de Silva resigned days before its tenure was due to end this month. Sri Lanka begins a tour of England next month in which it will play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international. Sri Lanka's outgoing chief selector and former batsman Aravinda de Silva, meanwhile, Thursday urged players to develop the never-say-die spirit shown by Australia. “We are superior in talent to Australia, but it is the character and the fighting spirit which we must inculcate in our players,” de Silva, vice captain of the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan team, told reporters. A three-member Sri Lankan selection committee led by de Silva quit Wednesday, less than a week after the team's defeat against India in the World Cup final in Mumbai. De Silva said he felt players became “emotional” during the final as the match tilted in India's favor. Hastings tricks in win Paceman John Hastings grabbed four wickets, including a hat trick, as Australia opened its tour of Bangladesh with a 90-run victory in a practice match Thursday. Australia scored 308-6 against a Bangladesh Cricket Board team, with new skipper Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, former captain Ricky Ponting and Brad Haddin all scoring half-centuries. Hastings finished with 4-15 as the host was restricted to 218-7. Australia will play three ODIs on its current tour, with the opening match starting in Dhaka Saturday. Brief scores: Australia 308-6 in 50 overs (M. Hussey 69 not out, R. Ponting 69, B. Haddin 66, M. Clarke 55) beat Bangladesh Cricket Board XI 218-7 in 50 overs (Maisuqur Rahman 68, Raqibul Hasan 65; J. Hastings 4-15) by 90 runs. Miandad to consider offer Former Test captain Javed Miandad says he would consider an offer to become the Pakistan batting coach after the national team's tour of West Indies. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt and one-day captain Shahid Afridi tried to persuade Miandad to take up the assignment after India defeated Pakistan in the World Cup semifinals last month. Miandad said he had detailed meetings with both Butt and Afridi, but for the time being “I could not travel with the team to the West Indies.”
