3 reasons why Sanath Jayasuriya's full-time appointment as Sri Lanka head coach is a great move
The iconic Sanath Jayasuriya, who contributed immensely to Sri Lankan cricket during his playing career with both bat and ball, was appointed the team's full-time coach on a two-year contract on Monday, October 7. This decision was taken by Sri Lanka Cricket's executive committee given how well the team has performed in recent times, which includes their first bilateral series win over India in 27 years.
Jayasuriya was also at the helm when Sri Lanka beat England in a Test in England after ten years (the third of the series at the Oval) as well as the 2-0 clean sweep they effected over New Zealand at home.
The southpaw was in charge of the national team after replacing Chris Silverwood, who resigned at the end of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup held earlier this year in the West Indies and USA in which SL fared rather poorly.
We look at three reasons why Jayasuriya's appointment is a great move:
#1 It will provide the team with stability
One of the main reasons why this move is expected to work for SL is that it will provide them with a lot of stability. Cricket in the island has often been disrupted owing to disagreements between players, the board and selectors in the past but this move is bound to signal continuity and stability.
Jayasuriya knows what it takes to play at the international level, and this will give immense confidence to the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando, who are bright spots in the Lankan side and look all set for big international careers.
#2 They can utilize his vast experience
Jayasuriya had a stellar international career in which he piled up 13,430 and 6,973 runs in Tests and ODIs, respectively. He knows what it takes to succeed against the best in the business, and his experience can help the Lankan players push themselves to the hilt and bring the best out of their performances.
There has seldom been a cricketer of Jayasuriya's calibre across the world and the Lankan side must consider themselves fortunate to have him at the helm. His expertise needs to be utilized to its fullest so that these players can, in turn, compete with others at the international level and come out in the right direction.
#3 The team will play an aggressive brand of cricket
If there is anything that will come out of Jayasuriya's appointment as the full-time coach of the Lankan national team, it is that they will become more aggressive and play an attacking brand of cricket. This has been clear from the way they have played against India, England and New Zealand in the recent past.
The Matara-born star was an aggressive player himself, and it is a testament to his excellent hand-eye coordination that he had a strike rate of 91 in ODIs in an era when 75 to 80 was seen as a respectable limit. Jayasuriya will hope to impart the same teachings and way of life to his wards in the national team.