• While being a member of the Transformation Committee
• Captain claims SL T20 squad that played in England the best

It comes as a surprise to find ex-Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara continuing to dissect the three embarrassing outings of Sri Lanka in the concluded three-match T20I series which they lost 3-0 to England over the weekend, as an expert commentator on Sky Sports.

This is notwithstanding the fact that the eloquent speaker and legendary batter is continuing to serve as a member of the Sri Lanka Cricket’s Transformation Committee/Interim Committee, to introduce long-sought reforms to its governance structure.

Sangakkara not only as a keen student of the game but also as an iconic figure in the sport, is well within his rights to point out whatever shortcomings evident in Charith Asalanka’s side.

However, what the discerning local cricket followers would like to know is, isn’t it ironic and duplicitous that the former master batter, is taking great pains to highlight the deficiencies of the national team before a global audience, when he ought to do just that behind closed doors. 

This is despite his standing in world cricket and furthermore being a member of the caretaker body running cricket here, and it has to be asked whether the England-domiciled former cricketer had got his priorities mixed up before stepping into the commentary box.  

If he wishes to proffer instructions to the national team to rectify their mistakes from the wealth of knowledge he has gained following his 15-year journey in international cricket, then it would be advisable that he does so, outside of his current capacity as a member of the Transformation Committee.

It looks rather bizarre to find that a member of the very Committee formed to put the governance framework on track, pinpointing all glaring shortcomings of the national team on an esteemed commentary panel and that too before a global audience.

Sangakkara called for a major rethink of the national team’s T20 batting lineup following their 3-0 series defeat to England, saying the team must develop a formidable top six capable of competing with the world’s leading teams.

Speaking during the post-match analysis following England’s victory in the third T20I on Saturday (19), Sangakkara said the series had exposed the considerable gulf between Sri Lanka and the world’s leading teams.

He said Sri Lanka could remain competitive against sides outside the leading group, but needed vast improvements to challenge the world’s top four.

Sangakkara identified the batting lineup as the team’s biggest concern, particularly its inability to sustain momentum through the middle overs.

He observed that Sri Lanka’s powerplay performances had improved in the final two matches, but that the batting continued to collapse during the middle overs, describing it as a long-standing weakness.

While acknowledging that Sri Lanka possessed a reasonably strong bowling attack, Sangakkara said the priority should be identifying and developing batters suited to the demands of modern T20 cricket.

He suggested that a series whitewash could make the scale of the required improvements more apparent.

Turning to the three-match ODI series starting today (22), Sangakkara expressed hope that Sri Lanka would learn from their T20 performances and approach the 50-over format with a positive mentality. He called for consistency in selection, confidence in established players and a clear strategy.

Sangakkara maintained that rebuilding Sri Lanka’s limited-overs team would take time, but emphasised that the necessary platforms must be established immediately.

In the meantime, acting T20I captain Charith Asalanka candidly claimed to Sky Sports commentator Michael Atherton at the post-match presentation, that the current crop was the best in the format for his country, when asked whether there were any others in Sri Lanka who could outdo the lot in England.

If that frank admission on the part of the acting skipper is anything to go by with, then the road ahead looks rather steep for Sri Lanka, for they have a mountain to climb before even mulling to challenge the top four teams in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings.