Kumar Sangakkara wants Sri Lanka to concentrate on 2019 World Cup

Former Test captain and batting legend Kumar Sangakkara has urged the Sri Lankan team to adopt new strategies moving forward after the team crashed out in the first round of the Asia Cup, after humiliating defeats at the hands of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He has also urged the selectors and administrators to support their players in the time of struggles.

All the teams are currently concentrating on just one tournament – the ICC World Cup 2019, which is less than a year away. Sangakkara wants the team to bury the failure of the Asia Cup and start its preparations afresh, especially by backing their players who have failed to deliver recently.

“We need to find out whether we have the right strategy in place. Whether we should change it or stick to it. Results on tours are important, but the larger picture should be the 2019 World Cup. We need to have a settled batting line-up. We need to identify the openers, identify who our number three is going to be and who is going to bat at number six and things like that,” Sangakkara was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“Those players whom we have identified need to be given an extended run. You need to have specific chats with players explaining what is expected of each of them,” he added.

The team in shambles post the 2015 World Cup

The problem with Sri Lankan cricket, many argue, is that they experiment a lot, and too often. In this Asia Cup, for example, they made Kusal Mendis open the innings, while Kusal Perera came in at number four – a decision which completely backfired.

Their recent performances have been so poor, that some also argue Sri Lanka does not deserve to play in the World Cup next year. In the 71 matches they have played since 2015 World Cup, Sri Lanka have won only 22. The management has tried different player combinations and captains, but nothing seems to have helped as yet.

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