Sri Lanka bowling legend Muttiah Muralitharan has shared his views on former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena spending more time with the national side during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup.
Muralitharan said Mahela has been out for nearly 06 months now and has spent almost 3-4 months of the time in a bio-bubble.
Stating that Mahela needs to take a break as well, Muralitharan said during discussions with the SLC committee Mahela had agreed to be a consultant during the beginning stages of the World Cup tournament for this reason.
Mahela had agreed to help put the team into place at the start of the tournament, after which it will be the responsibility of the coach and other staff to groom the team, he said, answering a question on whether Mahela can spend more time with the Sri Lanka team.
Mahela Jayawardena’s stint with the national team is expected to end after the first round of the tournament.
“We are in bubbles and it is not possible to even interact with the team. That is the reason we brought Mahela to enter the bubble. His experience will be vital. Any team can win a T-20 cricket match. You don’t know which team will win. Like when we won in 1996, we never thought we will win. I played in that tournament and we thought we will lose most games. We were not sure that we will reach the finals. But we did not lose a game. I am not saying that we have a talented team like that here. You may think it is not possible. But impossible things have been achieved in cricket,” Muralitharan said.
Muttiah Muralitharan also revealed that Mahela’s past experience and current streak in managing and leading to victory teams in overseas cricket tournaments are valuable for the Sri Lankan national team.
“The players can learn a lot from the information shared by Mahela in the dressing room. His advice can teach players how to plan and prepare prior to the game, calm down during the game, and come together as a team. Mahela will be grooming the team in these aspects,” he pointed out.
Muralitharan voiced hope for the Sri Lankan national team to qualify for the next round of the T20 World Cup, adding that he is confident that the current team will qualify.
“The team managed to easily score 97 runs. In the qualifiers, I think, Ireland is the only tough side and Sri Lanka can beat the Netherlands. I am sure we will move on to the next stage,” he added. (NewsWire)