Unwanted Sri Lankan greats treasured overseas

by Allaam Ousman

DUBAI: Australia hired Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan as a Bowling Consultant when they faced Pakistan in a Test series in the UAE last year. England have followed suit by drafting the services of another Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene as a Batting Consultant for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

"It is a huge boost to have a man of his skill.Over the years he scored over 25,000 runs and the way he played spin in particular," said England skipper Alastair Cook on his arrival in the UAE.

"To get Mahela on board and his experience and knowledge is great. Also, he knows Trevor Bayliss (head coach) and Paul Farbrace (assistant coach) very well, so he has fitted in very well. We will surely pick Mahela's brain a bit," added Cook as they prepare to counter the spin threat posed by Pakistan before the first Test begins in Abu Dhabi on October 13.

Sri Lanka cricket fans living in the UAE feel honoured and proud that the England team are picking the brains of their recently retired hero. Jayawardene, 38, is passing on to England's cricketers the experience he gained not only as one of the best captains Sri Lanka ever had, but as a master of batting in Asia (9,399 Test runs at an average of 56 in the continent).

"He's been outstanding. He's thoroughly enjoyed it, it's probably the first time he's been involved with coaching," said Farbrace, a former Sri Lanka coach.

"He's talked about some of the things that Sri Lanka have employed against the Pakistan side before and just things that our guys wouldn't necessarily have thought about, giving them another option".

Where England was eager to pick Jayawardene's brains, has Sri Lanka missed the bus by not using his services especially since they have an interim coach for the home series against the West Indies?

"It is a good break for him. He is a very good technically correct batsman. His expertise and experience would definitely benefit England," said Mohamed Isfahani Salahudeen, a Sri Lankan cricket fan resident in Dubai.

"Sri Lanka could have used his services instead of looking for a foreign coach. We should not look elsewhere when he have a 'made in Sri Lanka' product," said Isfahani who played for Mutwal CC.

"Correct people have recognised his talents. It is a prestige and honour and a recognition of his talent. We could have easily used his services and I remember when he retired he hinted that he had plans for Test cricketers in Sri Lanka," said Samantha Diyagubadu, a Sri Lankan banker.

"He is a jewel of Sri Lanka cricket. He could have communicated better with Sri Lanka cricketers than a foreign coach," he added.

"It's phenomenal for a cricketer who has just retired to be hired as England's batting consultant. I have seen how England veterans like (Alastair) Cook and (Ian) Bell give him respect and appreciate his advice. He always has a game plan," said Hemakeerthi de Silva, who is a Level 11 certified coach at the ICC Global Academy in Dubai.

"He wants to focus on improving the standard of domestic cricket. I'm sure he will get more involved in Sri Lanka cricket in the future," he added.

However, Sri Lanka should make every effort to retain the services of retired greats like Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, said Dubai-based former national badminton champion Sriyani Deepika.

"Mahela (Jayawardene) is one of my favourite cricketers. He is very disciplined and real gentleman cricketer who was a great leader as well. His dedication to the game is admirable and is a perfect role for young cricketers. I'm happy with his England role but sad that Sri Lanka cannot benefit from these retired greats," said Deepika.