Nic Pothas blames 'too many cooks' policy for Sri Lanka's decline

After a horrendous and forgetful Test series, the first match of the ODI series also was again forgetful for the Sri Lankan fans. The Men in Blue, led by their skipper charismatic Virat Kohli, once again bulldozed the Lions in their own backyard. Frustrated Sri Lankan coach Nic Pothas has blamed the selection policy of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for the tragic decline of the standard of their cricket, using reference of the famous proverb- ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’.

After a humiliating 9-wicket defeat against India, Pothas said that he is not at all disappointed with his players and is rather proud of their efforts on the field. He also heaped praises on the support staff for working very hard and formulating plans. He said that the selection committee is running rings around his settled lineup and players are getting sporadic chances to play for their country.

“When you get consistency within a team of players, you will see improvements in performance. When we’re getting new players every game, it gets very difficult from a confidence point of view. From the player’s point of view, it’s very difficult. It’s difficult for us – the coaching staff – to create a strategy,” said the fuming head coach who took over the responsibility after Graham Ford resigned in June.

“You can’t fault anyone within that changing room”

The 43-year-old honestly admitted that he is very frustrated and agitated with the Lankan board selecting new players for every series and thereby not allowing either the coach and his support staff or the players to settle down and act according to the strategy.

“They’ve (players) been superb. Support staff have been out of this world. Brilliant. They work endless hours with planning and helping the boys. You can’t fault anyone within that changing room,” said Pothas.

“You do get angry – to say ‘too many cooks’ is probably accurate. You get frustrated. Am I angry with the players? Absolutely not,” he signed off.