Former skippers of Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have decided to assist the national side after the injury-hit Sri Lankan players were facing world ranked No. one India at home between July and September.
The stalwarts of the gentleman’s game for the Lions were named to the list of the five-member committee which further comprised of two other former captains in the form of Anura Tennakoon and Aravinda de Silva.
“I’m willing to put in one final effort to help cricket in the country, but it’s up to the board to make it happen,” Jayawardene’s comments were published by ESPNcricinfo.
The committee is headed by the former president of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Hemaka Amarasuriya.
While talking to its length and breadth, De Silva believes the untimely spate of injuries has further made things worse for the Board.
“Whenever we have a good run of form, we get injuries to key players,” De Silva said.
Pertinently, Lankan side was drubbed 9-0, in the bilateral series which further comprised of three Tests, five ODIs and a solitary T20I.
Recently, the Islanders are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the full-fledged bilateral series.
The visitors are already leading with an unassailable lead of 1-0 in the two-match Test series, as the second Test is a day and night fixture which will be beginning from October 6 in Dubai.
“One issue to look at in the short-term is the frequency of injuries,” De Silva added.
In a bid to overhaul the cricket, the Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera endorsed the veterans of the game, to bring stability to the side which has gone through a lean patch at home.
As the committee thoroughly decided to work away from the limelight, the prime focus of the committee would be relying on boosting the morale of the youngsters and urge seniors to take the career of the fitness which plays a significant role in forming the stronger unit.
“We need to look at the research and try and gain a better understanding of why this is happening and how we can better handle it,” De Silva maintained.
Earlier, the side witnessed Angelo Mathews underwent rehabilitation and eventually failed after fast bowler Lasith Malinga was marred by injury in the recent past which saw him going under treatment in 2016.
Sri Lanka management is looking forward to primarily working on the fitness of the players which recently saw the former skipper Mathews missed out on his third Test series on the trot.
Relying on the curative process, the members of the committee are highly likely to keep an eye on the domestic fold which is further a stepping stone for the players, who especially make into the national fold, as per the merit basis.
“We can’t just keep coming back over and over again, as some sort of band-aid solution,” Jayawardene concluded.
The all-rounder Mathews struggled with his calf injury that he picked against Australia in 2016 at Dambulla.
