On 8th May, Cricket Victoria announced the appointment of Dulip Samaraweera as the new head coach of the Victorian women’s team.
The Victoria women’s cricket team, formerly recognized as Victorian Spirit, serves as the official women’s representative cricket team for the Australian State of Victoria. They participate in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), Australia’s premier 50-over women’s cricket tournament, where they have won the title twice, in 2002–03 and 2004–05.
In the 2023–24 season of the Women’s National Cricket League, Victoria under the captaincy of Nicole Faltum finished 3rd in the ladder.
Dulip Samaraweera, age 52, will now lead Cricket Victoria’s women’s team for the next two seasons, taking over the position from Jarrad Loughman. Samaraweera will commence the role immediately.
Samaraweera initially joined Cricket Victoria as a specialist batting coach in 2008, before being named as interim head coach in November last year. Meanwhile, Samaraweera is a former Test and One-Day International player for Sri Lanka and grew up playing for Colts Cricket Club in Colombo.
Cricket Victoria General Manager of Cricket Performance, Graham Manou, expressed his satisfaction with the permanent appointment of Dulip Samaraweera to the head coach position. Manou commended Dulip’s long-standing commitment to the program and highlighted his effective term as interim head coach in late 2023. He emphasized Dulip’s demonstrated coaching expertise and strong interpersonal skills, which have already begun yielding positive outcomes both on and off the field.
Graham Manou further added, “I’d like to congratulate Dulip on being appointed to the Head Coach position.”
Sharelle McMahon, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Female Cricket said, “Dulip has already made such a positive impact on our cricket performance team, so to promote someone internally to lead our women’s squad is very exciting and something Cricket Victoria is immensely proud of.”
Samaraweera upon being appointed as head coach said, “We have the world’s best players representing Victoria and it’s such an exciting environment to be a part of. It’s not often you get an opportunity to guide a group with this level of talent and I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together.”
Expressing his enthusiasm for leading a talented Victorian squad poised for success in the upcoming season, Samaraweera conveyed gratitude for the opportunity to guide a dedicated and determined group of athletes during a promising time for women’s cricket in Victoria. Looking ahead to the next season, he highlighted the potential of the team, emphasizing the emergence of promising players from premier cricket and pathway systems, which contribute to strengthening the depth of talent within the squad.