# Sri Lankan coach dies after clash with school players

2026-08-13T15:30:23+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Sumith Fernando, the 62-year-old coach who mentored Sri Lanka's ODI captain Kusal Mendis during his schooldays, died in Colombo on Tuesday after a dispute over drinking water during a match on August 8. Two school players confronted Fernando on the field, and he was taken to hospital, where he succumbed to treatment. Police arrested a 17-year-old player on suspicion of assault. The teenager was produced before a Colombo court and placed under child probation custody till August 17. Fernando was a former coach at Prince of Wales College and curator at Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club.

## Coverage

- rediff.com <https://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/sri-lanka-cricket-coach-dies-in-player-altercation/20260813.htm>
- sports.ndtv.com <https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sri-lankan-cricket-coach-who-mentored-kusal-mendis-dies-in-player-altercation-11906114>
- sports.ndtv.com <https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/sri-lankan-cricket-coach-who-mentored-kusal-mendis-dies-in-player-altercation-11906114#publisher=newsstand>

Tags: Colombo, Kusal Mendis, player altercation, school cricket, Sri Lanka cricket, Sumith Fernando
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sri-lankan-coach-dies-after-school-player-altercation/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sri-lankan-coach-dies-after-school-player-altercation/#story-in-brief

Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.