Reasons Behind the Recent Rise of Sri Lankan Cricket

Since the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya, a Sri Lankan legend, as the interim head coach in July, the team has done an outstanding job. Once seen as a giant of world cricket, Sri Lankan cricket hit rock bottom in the last 4 years. The players were not performing consistently and as a result, the failures were more than the success. The fans lost faith in their team after constant failures. But the recent success at home and in foreign conditions could very well bring the fans to the ground and reinstate their faith in the team.

Let’s have a look at the impact that Jayasuriya created since his appointment as Sri Lankan Cricket Coach:

Freedom to the Players

The players have been asked to play their natural game even if it involves risk-taking. The act of defending and losing has been replaced by an aggressive and fearless approach. Therefore, players such as Pathum Nissanka, and Fernando have done well compared to the earlier instances. The ability to bring the best out of each player has created a positive environment and belief to win every game.

Clarity of Roles to the Players

Without changing and chopping, the players have been made clear about their roles and how to go about it. The best example can be seen in Kamindu Mendis who had a great series against England recently. Batting at no. 7, he has been proven as the most consistent batsman in recent times and was given clear instructions about how to play at that position. This small act creates a big change in the dressing room and it was evident with the amount of runs he accumulated in the series.

Belief in the Youngsters

Utilizing the potential of the youngsters is the best thing that the Sri Lankan team has done recently. While the talent was always there, the utilization wasn’t at par. Jayasuriya’s brilliance in bringing the youngsters to the team and using them wisely has resulted in some unbelievable wins in the last 2 months. While the ODI series win against India was commendable, and the last test match victory against England stamped the authority of Jayasuriya. Though Sri Lanka lost the test series against England, they gave the opponents tough times during the series.

Jayasuriya’s Experience of Cricket

Having played nearly 600 matches, Jayasuriya reads the opposition better than any other player. His ability to read the pitch and conditions has helped Sri Lanka to produce better results recently. It has allowed the management to give freedom to the players to express themselves on the field and play their natural game. Jayasuriya has been successful in selecting horses for courses and the results are in front of everyone. Therefore, it would be fair to say that Jayasuriya in a short period as head coach has done tremendously well to keep his position for a longer period.

Therefore, it can be concluded that these factors combined have produced results that few months back were not expected from the Sri Lankan team.