World Cup 2019: Can't blame Dimuth Karunaratne, says Sanath Jayasuriya

Former captain and batting great Sanath Jayasuriya wants captain Dimuth Karunaratne to be backed despite Sri Lanka's poor showing at World Cup

Leeds: Fans at the Fred Trueman Stand were in for a huge surprise during the India v Sri Lanka game here on Saturday when they discovered Sri Lankan greats Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva seated next to them.

Jayasuriya, 50, and De Silva, 53, key members of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning team, wanted to watch the game as ordinary spectators. They tried hard to catch up on the action even as fans often disturbed them for selfies and autographs.

Jayasuriya, who has been banned by the ICC for two years earlier this year for breaching the anti-corruption code, watched the game with his son Ranuka.

mid-day caught up with Jayasuriya amidst the frenzy in the stand, to talk about issues plaguing Sri Lankan cricket and the way forward for the former champions.

Excerpts:

Your take on Sri Lanka's performance at the World Cup?

We have a very young team. They were just trying to get the team together with a new captain. So, after the World Cup, we need to rectify what went wrong with our cricket board and management. They [the management] need to come and do the needful for the team.

Do you think some tough decisions need to be taken?

It is very difficult for me to say. It's all up to the management and board. They are the ones who need to take decisions.

Should Dimuth Karunaratne be persisted as captain?

We can't keep changing captains. So, I don't know [if changing captain is a solution]. We need to give them the confidence once we have chosen them. That's all I am thinking at the moment. Whatever decisions you take, you need to give them [players] confidence. That's the best way forward.

Dimuth has just started, so you can't blame him. He will learn for sure. It's [the World Cup] his first ODI tournament as captain, so if I want him to do the job, I should give him whatever he wants — that is, more confidence.

Captain Karunaratne said Sri Lanka's domestic structure needs to strengthen...

You just can't complain about these little things. You can work or rectify what has gone wrong. You cannot talk about the domestic structure every time. In the past, we have played in this system and produced some fantastic cricketers. Yes, of course we need to do a little bit of tweaking here and there, but you can't always blame the system.

Does Sri Lankan cricket lack talent?

There are a lot of things we can talk about, but I don't want to say anything while we are playing the World Cup. They have the talent, but there are quite a few players who have not played international cricket in this squad. I think there are some quality cricketers who we missed in this World Cup. There has to be proper planning for such big tournaments.

What are India's chances of winning the Cup?

You can't predict anything in a World Cup, but they are playing some good cricket. Their middle-order is not tested. So, some tough games and close matches are going to be interesting. India are a very well-balanced team.

Your favourite moment of the 1996 World Cup?

The semi-final against India at Eden Gardens was the most interesting one. That helped us reach the final. And credit to this man [pointing to Aravinda de Silva] who played a marvelous innings [47-ball 66]. His innings helped us reach the final.

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