Mahela Jayawardene has decided to depart the Sri Lankan team before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 stage in 2021. Before the event, he had joined the side as a consultant.
After winning the first two matches in the first round, Sri Lanka qualified for the Super 12 stage. The skipper and the support group praised Jayawardene’s performance during this time.
The Sri Lankan legend stated to the media in the UAE that prolonged spells of bio-bubbles and quarantines have taken their toll on him and that he want to return home.
“It’s tough. I just counted that I have been 135 days in quarantine and bubbles since June and I am in (the) last legs. But I totally understand and I told them I will be with the group with the technology that we have. I hope that anyone can understand that being a father that I haven’t seen my daughter for that many days. I definitely need to get back home,” Jayawardene stated.
However, the former Sri Lankan captain was the head coach of the Southern Braves side that won The Hundred. After the campaign, he moved to the United Arab Emirates. To coach the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021’s second leg.
Mahela Jayawardene
As a result, Sri Lanka will face the Netherlands in the final game of the first round on Friday in Sharjah (October 22). Despite having already qualified. Mahela Jayawardene believed it would be a wonderful opportunity to set a precedent for the Super 12 stage.
“We’ll change the template and the way we want to play in Sharjah. In the Super 12 group, we have three games in Sharjah, one in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi so our template and strategy will change according to the surface and how we want to go about,” he said
Based on what he witnessed in Sharjah during the recently concluded IPL. The 44-year-old indicated that he will put a structure in place for Sri Lanka.
“Before I leave, I’ll put all structures in place and give them a better idea because I was involved in a few games. In Sharjah two weeks back in the IPL and we saw how in the playoffs the surfaces were playing,” he said
Today’s other encounter is Ireland against Namibia, with the winner qualifying for the Super 12 stage alongside Sri Lanka from Group A.
Read more: Mahela Jayawardene is leaving the Sri Lankan squad in T20 World Cup 2021
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