Former Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur has rejected claims by Chief Selector Pramodya Wickramasinghe that he was reluctant to include opener Pathum Nissanka in the national squad during the 2021 tour of the Caribbean.
Speaking to Telecom Asia Sport, Arthur said he was “very disappointed” by Wickramasinghe’s remarks, calling them inaccurate.
“The right people know exactly how I felt about Pathum. There was never any doubt that he was our future,” Arthur said, flatly denying the selector’s assertion.
Wickramasinghe, who was recently reappointed as chief selector, said earlier that he had to push for Nissanka’s inclusion, claiming the then head coach was hesitant to play the young batter and that he personally took responsibility for selecting him.
Arthur countered that Nissanka’s selection was driven purely by form and performance, pointing to the batter’s prolific domestic run-scoring at the time.
“He was scoring runs for fun, and the weight of runs made it impossible not to take a look,” Arthur said, adding that once selected, Nissanka’s professionalism and work ethic quickly set him apart.
Arthur also downplayed any personal credit for Nissanka’s rise, attributing the player’s success to his own commitment and discipline.
“I don’t want any credit for Pathum’s success. That belongs entirely to his hard work,” he said.
Nissanka went on to score a century on Test debut in the West Indies, later struck a hundred at The Oval in England, and made history as the first Sri Lankan to score a double century in one-day internationals. He is currently ranked among the world’s leading T20 international batters.
Arthur, who left Sri Lanka Cricket to coach county side Derbyshire, said his coaching philosophy has always been to identify young players with the right attitude and give them sustained opportunities at the highest level. (Newswire)
