Kumar Sangakkara reinforces the importance of Angelo Mathews in World Cup Squad

With the World Cup 2019 fast approaching, it would seem as though Sri Lanka and their chances are seemingly less. Having lifted the cup in 1996, the Lankans are now lucky simply to have qualified for the competition. Kumar Sangakkara, arguably one of the greatest batsmen to have ever played the game believes that Angelo Mathews’ ability to lead the side will come into question.

Speaking to the ICC, Sangakkara added that Mathews’ fitness was indeed a massive component of the ordeal and that he did indeed have a lot of confidence in the Lankan side doing well in big tournaments such as the World Cup.

Sangakkara was quoted telling ICC as, “It’ll also be the balance of the side, how Angelo Mathews goes about, whether he’s fit enough to bowl because that’s the most crucial aspect of Angelo in the side; that balance he gives us is the all-rounder. I have a lot of confidence in the fact that Sri Lanka is another team who does well in big tournaments.”

Sanga added that he believed that the team would indeed do well, given the talent they boast of within the team. “I think they’ll go well [at the World Cup], They have some excellent batsmen. I think bowling is where the concern is, whether we can restrict sides to manageable or chaseable totals, or restrict sides below totals that our batsmen can get.”

Sanga not making a comeback

When asked about a potential comeback, Sangakkara quashed rumors stating that he would much prefer watching from the stands.

He said, “You can’t reverse the clock! Age catches up with everyone and I’m pretty happy and comfortable watching it from the stands. There are times when I miss it and times when I see the hard yards done by the players that I don’t.”

Stay updated on ‘today’s cricket news‘ with CricTracker.com.