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Sri Lanka have appointed Chris Silverwood as their men's head coach.

Former bowler Silverwood left his two-year role as head coach of England men in February following the heavy Ashes defeat in Australia.

He was previously in charge at Essex, who he led to their first County Championship title in 25 years in 2017.

Silverwood has signed a two-year deal with Sri Lanka and will take charge of the side for their two-Test tour of Bangladesh in May.

"I am very excited to be on board with Sri Lanka," Silverwood said.

"They have a talented and passionate group of players and I am really looking forward to meeting up with the players and coaching staff very soon."

Silverwood, 47, was previously England's bowling coach before he replaced Trevor Bayliss in 2019.

However, England particularly struggled in Test cricket during his tenure, including a 4-0 thrashing in the Ashes.

Sri Lanka are seventh in the world Test rankings and were beaten 2-0 in their recent series against India.

They have been without a full-time head coach since Mickey Arthur left in December.

"Chris is an extremely experienced coach and from our discussions with him it is clear he has the required qualities we are looking for to take the team forward," added Ashley de Silva, chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket.