Hathurusingha returns!

Newly appointed head coach of Sri Lanka cricket team Chandika Hathurusinga being congratulated by Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara yesterday as SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala looks on at the media briefing   

Pic by Indraratne Balasuriya

By Madushka Balasuriya

Chandika Hathurusingha’s ability to communicate effectively in his native tongue and his progressive use of data analytics have been identified as key reasons behind his recruitment as head coach of the Sri Lankan national team.

“We were looking at the current game and we found that it is highly technical now, as most of the coaches were working based on scientific evidence. Most of them are using the best technologies and depend on technology and scientific evidence to ensure that a professional approach is being taken by the players,” explained Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala at a media briefing yesterday.

“In that context we found that Hathuru [sic] is one of the top world-class coaches who is working ‘today for tomorrow’. He is always one person who believes in the deployment of technology and also the use of technology in the interest of the national team.

“His approach is just right for the kind of players we have. More than anything he is also Sri Lankan and so can communicate well with the players as well, that is another advantage.”

Hathurusingha’s appointment comes on the back of glowing recommendations from past players such as Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, as well as others still playing for the national side. During his previous term as a member of SLC’s support staff he was credited with improvising several first team players, and more recently has seen success with the Bangladesh national side.

A large part of that success is down to Hathurusingha’s ability to eke out the maximum potential of the players at his disposal through the use of data analysis. For the last two years Sri Lanka Cricket has been putting together a Brain Centre, which focuses on mining and analysing match data of both its own players as well those of the opposition. Hathurusingha’s ability to effectively utilise such a setup was another reason behind his hiring, revealed Sumathipala.

“There’s no point having all that unless we have a head coach who knows how to make use of it or who has a passion to utilise new technology and translate that into good performances on the field. So that’s one of the key areas we saw the strength of Hathu, who will be able to work together with the Brain Centre.”

As such Hathurusingha will also be provided unprecedented control over team activities, with Sumathipala revealing that he will be the first national team coach to have a say in team selection as well.

“Our current constitution doesn’t provide for the coach to engage as a selector - we discussed this with the honourable Minister [of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera] and he gave us a solution - to incorporate his opinion for the touring squads together with our captain, vice captain and manager.”

For Hathurusingha himself, a chance at improving what he perceived from the outside looking in as an underperforming yet immensely talented team was an opportunity he could not turn down.

“There is no pressure for me, it’s all opportunities. Looking at our team from the outside I thought it was a great opportunity for me to come here and maximise the potential that I see. I’m looking forward to that challenge, and I take that challenge as a very good opportunity for me to take the team forward,” he said.

“The biggest thing was that this was an opportunity for me to impart my knowledge. I was also assured that whatever support I want would be given to me.”

As far as improving the team’s fortunes, however, the newly-appointed head coach called for patience, while identifying a need for consistency both in terms of performance as well as selection.

“Consistent selection is needed. We need to figure out the right combination for the respective formats. And when we’ve had some time to observe the players then we can get a more accurate idea of how to fulfil the potential of this team.

“It will take some time [to see significant improvement]. The players need to get used to the way that I think and operate, the different ways of training. If there is a way to fix everything by changing one thing then the improvement might be quicker, but it’s important to have some patience. We might win our next tour, but then again we might have more challenges in future matches. In the end it’s imperative that we look at the bigger picture.”