Mahela Jayawardene reflects on his Test career, and the need to bridge the gap between international and club cricket in Sri Lanka
Interview by Gaurav Kalra19-Nov-201420:38
‘Sri Lanka should play the Sri Lankan brand of cricket’
Has there been a moment since you retired when you have questioned your decision?
Not really, never. I think that’s a good thing because then I know I made the right call. It’s always a tough decision to make. You never know when is the right time. But I’ve always felt that I would get the hint from within me, and then I just needed to ask the right questions of myself.A few things I had to process, one being that I’d had a great year with the bat in all formats, especially in England, when we won. Our next Test series, apart from the two Tests in New Zealand, is in July-August next year, so we don’t have any Test cricket for almost ten to 12 months. I am going to get older by another year. So where is the motivation? Do I have anything to hold on to?The other side of the scale was more family time, and that’s a bit of a priority. At the same time, I always wanted to leave when I was on top, batting really well, contributing to the team cause, winning. That’s important for me as well. So I felt it was the right time and I can focus my last four to five months purely on the World Cup preparation and make sure I give my best because it’s going to be my last World Cup and my last international as well.One of the great things about your batting was the visual appeal of it. How aware were you of the fact that when you batted people were just mesmerised?
That’s who I am. I played because I loved the game. It wasn’t the numbers, getting to that milestone or breaking that record. For me, it was just the pure joy of going out there and enjoying my cricket. Whatever came my way, records, achievements, I’ve taken it in my stride and tried to improve myself. Other than that I haven’t gone away from the way I started as a 20-year-old. My technique hasn’t changed. The approach in certain formats has changed purely because of the responsibility and role I have been given in the team. I am a bit disappointed that I haven’t been able to get that average of 50, but after 149 games, I am quite happy with 49.”There was no Sri Lankan who had scored 10,000 runs in Test cricket. I wanted to push myself to get there, which I achieved”•Associated Press Do you look at yourself as someone who accomplished everything you set out to?
When I started as an 18-19-year-old, I just wanted to play for my country. After establishing myself, I set myself certain goals. Like, there was no Sri Lankan who had scored 10,000 runs in Test cricket. I wanted to push myself to get there, which I achieved. It’s easy to say I could have played more, achieved more, but I didn’t want to be someone else. When your game is dissected, one of the things said is: you have a wonderful home record but not so great overseas, especially Australia and South Africa. Is that a disappointment in your career?
A little bit. But as a Sri Lankan, we don’t get regular tours to those places. I made my debut in 1997 but I didn’t play a Test match in Australia till 2004. Even though I toured South Africa in 2009, I didn’t play a Test match. I played in 2002-03. For me, it took a bit of time to learn about those conditions.In England I adapted because every three years we go there. The conditions became friendlier. My record in England is much better. It’s not an excuse but I would have hoped I had the opportunity to challenge myself and score more runs.My one-day record in Australia and South Africa is much better because we play more one-day cricket there. But unfortunately I haven’t been able to accomplish what I should have, I agree. I think I’ve played six [seven] Tests in Australia in 18 years of international cricket, which is not fair.You were recognised as one of the most exciting captains in the world. Why did you let it go? And why were you so reluctant to give it a second go?
I thoroughly enjoyed it when I was given the opportunity and I managed to put my own stamp on it and create a culture. I always felt that if I can’t control certain elements, then I walk away from it, because I wanted to enjoy the game rather than get entangled in all the other stuff. It came to a point that I didn’t enjoy my captaincy – not the cricket side of it but behind the scenes. I explained that to the administration and let it go because I wanted to continue playing and enjoying the game.
“We played without contracts, we played without pay for 12 months. For us it’s important that we represent our country, but at the same time we won’t give up on our rights”
When I was asked to do it again, I took it up as the team wasn’t heading in the right direction and it was my responsibility to try and get back on track and create an environment for a younger leader to come through. It would have been much easier to be captain again, but I felt that after we all leave, that young person would not have any seniors around him when he takes over. Now Angelo has already had two to three years as national captain while all the seniors are around him, which makes the job much easier. So you are saying that in some ways the administrative structure of Sri Lankan cricket impedes the potential in the country?
Not all the time, but we’ve had our issues over the years. I am assuming it’s the same scenario in most places.The best thing to do is to avoid as much confrontation as possible and just concentrate on the game. We try to do that and that’s probably why we’ve managed to be very successful on the field. But off the field we’ve had our issues and we’ve managed to fight for what we felt was right. But at any given time we haven’t said that we will not play for our country. We played without contracts, we played without pay for 12 months. For us it’s important that we represent our country, but at the same time we won’t give up on our rights. There is a certain brand of cricket Sri Lanka play that Arjuna Ranatunga first embodied and then you took forward. Is that almost more important than the results?
Definitely. It’s important that Sri Lankans play the Sri Lankan brand of cricket. That has been very successful for us over the years. Like you said, we’ve evolved since we got our Test status in 1982. For a team to win a World Cup in 1996 – that’s because we had our own identity, our own brand of cricket, and we’ve continued to develop that.And you hope it continues after you retire?
Definitely. They should keep pushing themselves and improve. You don’t want to be stuck in one place but to play with that brand and try and see whether they can push the envelope.”When I was asked to captain again, it was my responsibility to create an environment for a younger leader to come through”•Manoj RidimahaliyaddaWhat about the domestic structure in Sri Lanka? Is there too much of a gap between first-class and international level?
Yes, unfortunately. If you look ten to 15 years back, it wasn’t an issue. But now international standards have improved quite a bit. We haven’t been able to lift our domestic cricket. Fortunately we have a very good schools structure, where kids play a lot of good cricket. They develop till 16-17 to a very good level. But there is a gap with our club cricket. We need to bridge that gap. We’ve given so many new ideas but unfortunately nothing has been implemented.I feel we need to have a provincial set-up between international and club cricket where the best cricketers play. Keep club cricket as it has been but have another level. We are not a big country, so maximum five to six provincial teams. They play good-quality cricket, so the standards are higher. The relationship with Kumar Sangakkara has been one of the most enduring of your life, and now the cricket side of it is going to end.
It is good to have someone like that. He’s a very intelligent cricketer, a very intelligent human being. To have someone like that as your best mate on and off the field is good. Because we bounce things off each other, decision-making becomes much easier. We aren’t two guys who say yes to everything. We always argue, so that we make sure the decisions are good. When I say “we” it’s always the team, not just Sanga! There was a conscious effort from both of you to bridge the senior-junior divide in the team.
We did it when it came to our contracts, payments, structures, everything. You can’t do that by creating an environment just inside the dressing room. We needed to show that there is not much of a difference between the top guys and the bottom guys. As long as you push yourself, as long as you achieve certain standards, you can get to those top slabs of the contracts.There was a huge disparity between our top and bottom slabs. We managed to get those much closer and gave them incentives to push themselves. At the same time we opened forums for the younger players who come into the team to have a dialogue and give their inputs into team decisions, get them into committees, get them involved in fun activities they organise – they control the whole thing, so it becomes a much better environment inside the dressing room.Murali used to take younger players out for meals even back in the ’90s
Even to the day he retired, Murali got along with the juniors. Whoever came into the side, he was the first one to take him out for a meal. Maybe he felt younger when he spent time with the younger boys! When I joined the team, Murali was a bachelor. Even his wife knows of his adventures! All innocent – we would go out, have a good night out and come back.
“I’ve always felt every team should play a minimum of eight to ten Test matches every year”
It seems he’s very good with batting advice.
His advice would come if you got out to a spinner. He hates when batsmen get out to spinners. He watches a lot of cricket. If there was a Mr Cricket in Australia, there was a Mr Cricket in Sri Lanka in Murali. He knows everything that’s going on and he reads the game very well. When he talks, he talks sense. It’s just that he talks a lot! He was fantastic to have in the dressing room.Do you think Sangakkara is going to carry on?
These are personal decisions. We don’t get too involved in giving advice on that. I spoke to him when I made my call. He wasn’t very happy but he understood where it’s coming from. Kumar is batting really well, but it’s up to him to decide on his career. We had a wonderful 15 years. It will be good to watch him on the screen.What do you think of the state of the world game right now?
I think the game has evolved. All the formats have improved. With T20s, the skill level has improved of all cricketers and they have taken it to one-day and Test cricket. Test cricket has become much more attractive – big scores, quick scores, and aggressive cricket. But it is important that we maintain a balance, make sure we play quality cricket, not quantity. I’ve always felt every team should play a minimum of eight to ten Test matches every year. If we can come to that solution, that would be great. You have the iconic series, that’s traditional, so those countries might play a bit more, but try and keep that emphasis on playing a minimum of eight to ten Tests for each country. Otherwise, the countries that play less Test cricket will find it tough to keep their standards up.What are your plans after the World Cup?
I haven’t made too many plans. I will still play a bit of cricket. It will be tough to leave the game completely, but I don’t want to be a permanent fixture. So if I can have my own schedule and be involved, I’d be more than happy to. But if not, there’s a lot of other things happening in my life with businesses and family.