Reacting on the speculations over his potential involvement as Consultant Coach of Sri Lanka National team, legendary batsman and captain Mahela Jayawardene has revealed that so far no one has spoken to him in this regard!
“No one has spoken to me, it should be asked to them (concerned authorities)” Mahela said.
In addition, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), led by legend Aravinda de Silva, has also made it clear that so far no name has been suggested to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), as first priority is to put a structure in place.
“We haven’t suggested any former player name for any coaching role. In next few days, we are having couple of meetings with SLC hierarchy on these matters. First, we wants to put a proper structure in place. Then only, will will take things forward” a member of TAC told Cricket Age.
News are making rounds that Sri Lanka have tapped Mahela and several ex-players – Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera and Rangana Herath – to replace head coach Mickey Arthur who joins the English county side Derbyshire next month. The 44-year-old worked on improving the morale of the Sri Lankan team during the latest T20 World Cup. He is also serving as a consultant for the U-19 team in an ‘honorary’ capacity. Cricket Age understands that though Mahela is open to associate with senior team again, but he doesn’t prefer a full time assignment and wants ‘clarity’.
This time around, for a change, Sri Lanka are keen to overcome the language barrier local players faced when dealing with a foreign coach. Thus, the idea is to get local coaches who can be easily understood by players. Sri Lanka previously appointed former test player Chandika Hathurusingha as head coach in December 2017, but he was terminated after the team ended up sixth in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
