Sanath Jayasuriya, the team’s recently appointed temporary head coach, demands discipline from the Sri Lankan players ahead of their white-ball home series against India. This includes enforcing proper haircuts and the removal of body piercings.
Speaking to the media, former captain Jayasuirya acknowledged that it’s critical to inculcate discipline in the current team, particularly in order to preserve cricket as “the gentlemen’s game.”
“We did basic disciplining. We are expecting discipline in general, and I am only an interim coach during my tenure. I want that discipline,” said Jayasuriya, who has been appointed as a temporary coach for the series against India and Sri Lanka’s tour of England in September.
“Our cricket-loving public love these cricketers, and they are watching them and there are young cricketers who are looking up to senior cricketers. They like to learn from them. If they do well it would help the younger generation of cricketers as well. It was on this backdrop we introduced these changes. We want to maintain cricket as the gentlemen’s game,” he added.
Supporting Jayasuriya’s efforts to discipline the young cricket players, the nation’s sports minister, Harin Fernando, had previously emphasised the need of discipline and modesty among national cricket players and contended that modesty could lessen the majority of the criticism that players receive following defeats.
“If the team had been more humble and their attitudes had shifted, the people of Sri Lanka would not have been so critical of match losses. People have a deep love for cricket” the Sports Minister had said.
In addition, Jayasuriya emphasised that Sri Lanka ought to make the most of the absence of three seasoned players: all-arounder Ravindra Jadeja, captain Virat Kohli, and captain Rohit Sharma, who declared their retirement from the shorter format following the T20 World Cup last month.
“They are not in the team, which is a loss to the Indian team, and we should take maximum advantage of it ,’’ he said. “Rohit, Virat and Jadeja are the best players in the world. With their talent, the cricket they played, we all know where they stand,” Jayasuirya said.
Three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) will be held at Pallekele International Stadium on July 27, 28, and 30. Three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) will begin in Colombo on August 2.