‘I consider myself very lucky’ – Sanath Jayasuriya opens up on coaching Sri Lankan team

‘I consider myself very lucky’ – Sanath Jayasuriya opens up on coaching Sri Lankan team. (Source – Getty Images)

Sri Lanka’s cricket team has been recently grabbing headlines for their performances, thanks to their head coach Sanath Jayasuriya. Appointed as the full-time head coach in October last year, Jayasuriya has already led the team to a series of memorable achievements. Apart from the 1-2 T20I series loss against New Zealand, they have been pretty impressive under Jayasuriya reign.

Jayasuriya took up the coaching role following Chris Silverwood’s tenure, which ended after Sri Lanka’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign last year. The team failed to qualify for the Super 8s, asking for a major change in leadership. As a former captain and one of Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketers, Jayasuriya brought huge experience to the role.

His first assignment was against the West Indies, and since then, the results have been remarkable. Sri Lanka has secured a 2-0 Test series sweep against New Zealand, a 2-0 ODI series victory over India, and a historic away Test win against England, all within two months of Jayasuriya’s tenure.

“I have given players a lot of confidence so they can come up and play their natural game. That’s a very important area for me to look at because I don’t want to put them under unnecessary pressure,” Jayasuriya was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Sanga and Malinga always turned up: Sanath Jayasuriya

He also thanked Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga, who have been crucial in mentoring the young squad. He revealed that these two the amount the experience they bring is very crucial for the young players.

“They’ve been involved right from when I became a coach, so I consider myself very lucky. Whenever I required them to do anything involving the players, Sanga and Malinga turned up. Their international experience coming through to these boys is crucial,” the legendary former cricketer added.

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As a player, Jayasuriya featured in 110 Tests, 445 ODIs, and 31 T20Is under his belt, he scored 42 international centuries and took 440 wickets. Furthermore, he was a key member of Sri Lanka’s iconic Cricket World Cup winning team in 1996.

Under his guidance, the Lankan Lions also have a narrow chance of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final only if the Sydney Test between Australia and India ends in a draw, and they avoid a loss against the Aussies in their upcoming two-match series.