JON LEWIS, who last week left his role as Durham head coach, has been appointed the new batting coach with Sri Lanka.

A restructure of the coaching set-up at the Emirates Riverside saw Lewis leave as he opted not to apply for one of the new positions at the county.

And he has swiftly found a new role as a replacement for Thilan Samaraweera.

Lewis spent 22 years with Durham. He will join the Sri Lanka squad following their Test series against New Zealand which starts on Friday and ends on December 30, and has signed a contract that will take him through to the end of the 2019 World Cup, which takes place in England.

Chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket Ashley de Silva said: “With his expertise and experience, I believe, Lewis will be able to bring in the required impetus to our batting, which needs stability.”

Lewis will be on familiar territory during the World Cup – Sri Lanka play twice at Emirates Riverside, against South Africa on June 28 and the West Indies on July 1.