The attention of the Sri Lankan side I played against was on another level: Nasser Hussain

Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain recently compared the new crop of Sri Lankan players to that of the older, legendary ones. With Sri Lanka currently struggling against England in their ongoing first Test of the series, Hussain revealed that the previous generation of the same opposition was completely different from the current one. 

He also recalled an incident with former Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara in which the latter would continuously sledge him in one of their Test matches. Comparing the generations, the cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted the difference between old and new Sri Lanka players, opining that the new generation is completely different on and off the field.

“I think of the Sri Lanka side I played against, and their attention to detail was on another level. They are the nicest, meekest, calmest people off the field but once you got on the field, players like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene would be at you all the time. Kumar would chirp all sorts behind me like ‘Enjoy your last Test match',” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. 

You can’t drop your concentration: Hussain

Furthermore, Hussain talked about Sri Lanka being lethargic and sloppy on day 3 of the first Test against England. He opined that the visitors will have to look back on their performance in case they lose. 

“If Sri Lanka lose this Test, they will look at the first hour on Friday and ask themselves if they were completely switched on and ready, because it was such a contrast to the fight they showed across the first two days. Test cricket is like an arm wrestle — you can’t drop your concentration at any stage — and I thought they were sloppy and lethargic in the morning. They were almost not ready for the start of play,” Hussain said.

Speaking of the Test between England and Sri Lanka, the visitors looked to have the advantage on Day 3, but England’s excellence brought them back into the game.