Sri Lanka former Test Captain and current Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has reportedly declined a role with the Sri Lanka men’s team going into the 2019 ICC World Cup.
In an interview given to The Sunday Times, Jayawardene revealed that he was invited to be part of the team management for the World Cup but turned down the offer twice because he has other commitments at the moment and due to his mistrust towards Sri Lanka Cricket.
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“I was, but I have several other commitments. More than that, I didn’t understand the role I am expected to play. There’s no point in me getting involved tactically, or whatever, if I don’t have a say in the whole structure. The team is selected, and everything is done and dusted. There is no room for me to come in and add something” Jayawardene quoted on The Sunday Times.
Recently, Jayawardene contributed in the 2nd Championship win for Mumbai Indians in the IPL in just his 3rd year with the franchise. Former World Cup captain guided Sri Lanka into the finals in 2007 ICC World Cup and played a major role in 2011 ICC World Cup success too.
Read : Karunaratne clear of his job description at the World Cup
He is also famously known for masterful tactics on and off the field so, it is understandable that Sri Lanka Cricket leaned towards Jayawardene to seek help in this year’s World Cup campaign. Last year, Jayawardene joined Kumar Sangakkara and Aravinda de Silva to submit a report on Sri Lanka Cricket, providing recommendations to guide the island’s Cricket into the right path.
But these recommendations were rejected by SLC.
“We created a professional cricketing structure spending eight months. We offered to set it up for them but they rejected it. We did it because we don’t want to lose our cricketers going to Australia and to league cricket in England. We need those experienced players in our system”
“Without those cricketers playing in our domestic cricket, we cannot build our younger generation. There are some teams in our first-class system where the average age is 25, which is sad. When we played, we had so many senior cricketers to guide us. Without them in our system, we cannot build a strong domestic cricket structure and without doing that, there’s no point in building stadiums”
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“We need quality cricketers. This is something I have been saying over the years. If you don’t play our first-class cricket at international venues, how do our young cricketers get better?”
“In our club tournament, only two international venues are being used for matches. They don’t play first class cricket in Galle, Dambulla, Kandy or Hambantota or, for that matter, at Khettarama. Yes, we do play the odd match, but that doesn’t make any sense. There’s something fundamentally wrong in this structure and until they realize that, we will not produce consistent cricketers. We will produce talented ones but not consistent ones”
He has conveyed in the interview that he is not interested in taking part in any SLC’s businesses as well.
“I am still happy to contribute in my little way with the management of the team but nothing to do with the SLC. That’s something I have told myself as well. I just don’t have the appetite to come and work for anybody when I know that it’s not the right place for me”
Mahela Jayawardene named Brand Ambassador for World Cup
Jayawardene is currently acting as a brand ambassador for the ICC World Cup where he will write exclusive columns throughout the tournament – providing insight on matches and also will be making match-day appearances at both games in-stadia fan zones and city fan parks as well as connecting with fans via the ICC’s social media channels.
