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The England white-ball side has been on the decline ever since winning the 2022 T20 World Cup. Under the coaching of Matthew Mott, the England white-ball side faced a slide after a remarkable journey to bring the World Champions in ODIs (2019) and T20Is (2022).
They were pretty ordinary during the ODI World Cup in India back in 2023 and were knocked out by India in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Mott resigned from his position on July 30 and since then the head coach position has been left vacant.
Reports had emerged about the potential appointment of Andrew Flintoff which fizzled out pretty early. Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting also emerged as a coaching candidate but ruled out any possibility of coaching an international team.
In the last week, the name of Kumar Sangakkara has also emerged as a strong candidate for the England coaching role. Sangakkara is one of the greatest cricketers to have emerged from Sri Lanka and has excelled in his role as a team director for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Sangakkara was excited at the prospect of coaching the England national team but confirmed that he hasn't been approached yet. During his commentary stint with Sky Sports at the Hundred, Sangakkara mentioned that his name has sprung up but there are many good candidates out there.
“Well, I know my name has been mentioned for some reason, but there has not been any approach as such. I think the England white-ball job is an exciting prospect for anyone, but there are so many good candidates out there. I am very happy at the moment.” Sangakkara was quoted by Britain’s PA news agency.
Having said that, let us have a look at three reasons why Kumar Sangakkara will be the perfect coach for England's kowhite-ball team:
# 1. Sangakkara has worked closely with the England white-ball captain Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has been an integral member of the Rajasthan Royals outfit and has been one of the leading run-getters in the IPL. He is also the current white ball captain who has been at the helm for more than two years now. Meanwhile, Sangakkara has been the Director of Cricket at Rajasthan Royals and has worked with Buttler for a while now.
For a team to flourish especially in limited-overs cricket, the camaraderie between the coach and the captain is of paramount importance. Having spent a considerable amount of time with Buttler, Sangakkara could be a perfect option for England as they aim to revamp their white-ball side.
# 2. Sangakkara resides in England and can be in close proximity to the players
While we have seen Pakistan appoint Mickey Arthur as their head coach on an online basis, it also marked the first time in the history of cricket that an online coach was appointed. The results of the Pakistan team have been dismal to say the least in the last couple of years which suggests the fact that online coaching doesn't work in cricket.
As a head coach, you have to spend the majority of your time with the players to get a clear idea of how they want to improve their game and make them the best version of themselves.
Sangakkara, who currently resides in England, will get an opportunity to closely monitor the players even in off-season. Team building and trusting the coach is very important for the players, which makes Sangakkara a viable option for the coaching role.
# 3. Sangakkara backs his players which we have seen in the IPL
Ever since taking over the reins as a team director at the Rajasthan Royals, Sangakkara has inspired the team to play an aggressive brand of cricket. While you always need to play aggressively in the T20 format, it's more about how you approach the game and play according to the situation of the game.
Citing Riyan Parag as an example, it was Sangakkara who promised the Indian cricketer to give him a long run at No. 4, the position where he has excelled in the domestic circuit. Riyan went on to have a breakthrough season and recently made his debut for India.
Sangakkara has an uncanny knack of spotting talents and backing them even if they haven't performed for a while. With England needing a fresh revamp in the white ball format, Sangakkara could emerge as a perfect option.
