“He analyses not only our team, but the oppositions’ weaknesses – he sees the game in a unique way” – Shanaka on Jayawardene
“With Avishka, we know that after 15 balls, he strikes at 160. It was just getting Avishka to those 15 balls. Up front he just puts himself under a little bit of pressure in terms of dot balls. So when he’s come in at No. 4, generally the field has been back, which has allowed him to rotate strike and got him into the innings. Which gets him to the point where once he gets in, he’s almost unstoppable. We sort of tinkered with it and tried it, and touch wood, it’s worked so far. Let’s hope that continues through the tournament.”
“One of the reasons I was so excited to work with Mahela was because I worked with him a long time ago when he was still playing, in franchise cricket, and I was struck by his ability to analyse the game exceptionally well”
Mickey Arthur
Long before Jayawardene was a highly respected franchise coach (having now got a Hundred title under his belt, in addition to three IPLs), he was renowned for his strategic nous as a player and as a captain.
Both Arthur and current captain Shanaka lauded Jayawardene for the inputs so far.
“We get a lot of help from him,” Shanaka said. “He’s got a lot of experience. He analyses not only our team, but the oppositions’ weaknesses. He sees the game in a unique way. He’s already contributed a lot, and we’re looking forward to getting more from him through the tournament.”
Arthur had this to add: “Mahela’s contributed a massive amount. One of the reasons I was so excited to work with Mahela was because I worked with him a long time ago when he was still playing, in franchise cricket, and I was struck by his ability to analyse the game exceptionally well. I think his cricket brain is amazing. We’ve had some good chats, and some good debates.”
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf
