Mahela Jayawardena burns critic over quantity of provincial teams

Former legendary Sri Lankan batter Mahela Jayawardena might have hung up his boot but has been following Sri Lankan from close quarters. Since his retirement, Mahela has also been an active user of social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter to express his views on the current affairs of all sports, be it cricket or football. Also, the MI coach never backs down in burning few critics who question the abilities of the Sri Lankan team.

One such incident occurred lately with the announcement of the much needed four team inter-provincial tournament. Mahela was the one who has been adamant about the inclusion of the tournament and has been continuously pressing Sri Lankan cricket for this to happen.

An ardent Sri Lankan cricket fan, post the announcement of the four-team inter-provincial tournament, asked Jayawardena for the reason why their team cannot play with 9 teams given the fact that India plays with 20 teams in the Ranji trophy. “In India, around 20 teams are playing for Ranji trophy. And many best players were found from that. So why can’t we play with 9 teams?” questioned a fan named T.N.T.

To which Mahela lashed out and claimed that one cannot compare Sri Lankan Cricket with Indian Cricket as the latter has the benefit of the population. The Indian population comes out to be around 1 billion while Sri Lanka’s population accounts for only 22 million, i.e., one-fifth of the Indian population. “1 billion vs 22 million. I am sure you are good at maths? How many teams should we have?” lashed out Mahela Jayawardena.

Here’s the Thread

In India around 20 teams are playing for Ranji trophy. And many best players were found from that. So why can't we play with 9 teams.

— T.N.T (@Ntt_22) August 21, 2017

1 billion vs 22 million. I am sure you are good at maths? How many teams should we have? https://t.co/QNwXWQeNHn

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) August 21, 2017

Mahela Jayawardena’s upcoming assignment is in the Bangladesh Premier League where he would mentor the Khulna Titans. The side will be captained by Mahmudullah Riyadh and would boast the likes of Chris Lynn, Sarfraz Ahmed, Rilee Rossouw, Junaid Khan, Kyle Abbott, Seekkuge Prasanna and many others.