Pubudu Dassanayake Is BACK As USA Men’s Head Coach!
The veteran coach returns just in time to lead USA into this weekend’s ODI tri-series vs Canada and Oman in Florida—kicking off his *second* stint at the helm of the national team.
Dassanayake coached USA from 2016 to 2019, guiding them to promotion in World Cricket League Division 4 before resigning during a governance power struggle. Now he’s back, bringing decades of global experience—including head coach roles for Canada (also two stints), and Nepal (also two stints).
He played 11 Tests and 16 ODIs for Sri Lanka, then went on to coach Canada to the 2011 World Cup and Nepal to the 2014 T20 World Cup. Most recently, he coached Canada to a win over Ireland at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
After coaching Canada in the 2024 T20 World Cup he left to coach the Janakpur Bolts in the Nepal Premier League.
USA Cricket will formally reintroduce Dassanayake at a press conference Wednesday in Florida. He takes over from interim coach Vincent Vinay Kumar, and steps in at a crucial time as USA prepares for key international fixtures and World Cup ambitions.
Welcome back, Coach D.