3 reasons why Kumar Sangakkara would be the wrong choice for England's white-ball coach
England are currently on a hunt for a new coach in white-ball cricket after Matthew Mott stepped down as their coach in limited-overs cricket. Mott's exit was a surprise, as he stepped down halfway through a four-year contract with the English team.
During Mott's tenure, England won the coveted T20 World Cup trophy in 2022. However, the English team fared miserably in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India and could win only three of their nine games. In the recently, concluded T20 World Cup 2024, England lost to the champions India in the semi-finals.
Post Matthew Mott's resignation, there has been speculation that the former Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara could be England's new white ball coach.
On that note, here is a look at three reasons why Kumar Sangakkara would be the wrong choice for England's white-ball coach.
#1 No prior experience of being a head coach of an international team
England would prefer a head coach with prior coaching experience an international team. Sangakkara does not fit that bill.
The former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter has never been the head coach of any international team in the past. Being the head coach of an international team is a rigorous task that is different from being the head coach of a franchise in T20 cricket.
For the records, Sangakkara has been the director of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2021 and the franchise ended up as runner-up in IPL 2022.
#2 England Cricket Board (ECB) would prefer someone who has worked with the English team in the past
ECB would prefer a head coach who has worked closely with the England team in the past. ECB could look to appoint Andy Flower as their head coach for the limited-overs set-up.
Flower was the full-time director of England from 2009-2014. During his tenure, the England team won the T20 World Cup 2010, their first-ever ICC trophy in limited-overs cricket.
Flower has considerable experience in coaching and is currently a part of various T20 leagues in the capacity of a coach (IPL, Pakistan Premier League, International League T20, and Caribbean Premier League).
In an interview to PA News Agency, Naseer Hussain was in full praises for Andy Flower and backed him as England's next coach in limited-overs cricket. He said:
"He is a brilliant coach. You just have to look at his CV and, if Rob Key got Andy Flower’s CV out, there is hardly a better option than that, but again it is if Andy wants to do it."
#3 ECB would prefer a coach from their domestic set-up
Coaching the England national team is no mean task. The coach has to be well versed with various counties, the number of domestic competitions and keep a close eye on the potential future international players for England.
Though Sangakkara has been associated with Sky Sports as a cricket expert, it is pertinent to note that the Sri Lankan would be naive to domestic matches in England as compared to a coach who has worked/monitored/ witnessed the performances of young players in domestic matches.
Thus, the ECB would prefer a coach who has been working in the domestic set-up for some time and is well-versed with the culture and set-up of English cricket.