Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne has urged his country’s cricket chiefs to help more players enter overseas Twenty20 leagues to make up for the limitations of their domestic structure.
Sri Lanka have failed to replicate their 1996 World Cup triumph in the current tournament, with the retirements of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara leaving them short of top-class talent.
Moving forward after World Cup disappointment
Sri Lanka, who are already out of the race to reach the semi-finals, take on India in their final group game at Headingley on Saturday.
And Karunaratne said exposing Sri Lankan talent to international tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Australia’s Big Bash is the best way to broaden their limited-overs experience.
“In Sri Lanka we have one domestic season. The players have only one chance to showcase their talent in a particular domestic season and we can identify players only that season,” Karunaratne told reporters on Friday.
“We have to close that gap (between domestic and international cricket). We have to give a chance to the players to play in IPL, Big Bash or county cricket.
“We have to give them permission to play in overseas tournament to gain experience and come back. Those are the things I’m expecting from the cricket board after this World Cup.”
Karunaratne looking to future ahead of India clash
Sri Lanka’s veteran paceman Lasith Malinga has been part T20 leagues across the globe, recently winning the IPL title with Mumbai Indians.
Karunaratne’s team revived their flagging World Cup campaign by upsetting hosts England, but they soon suffered a loss to South Africa that shattered their last four hopes.
