Kumar Sangakkara breaks silence on England coaching role

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara opened up on the reports regarding him being the potential contender to become England’s white-ball head coach.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Sangakkara, alongside legendary all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was in contention to become England’s white-ball coach.

The former wicketkeeper batter, however, revealed that he was not approached by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) before terming it an “exciting prospect”.

“Well, I know [my name] has been mentioned for some reason, but there has not been any approach as such,” Sangakkara, a member of Sky Sports’ commentary team for The Hundred, told Britain’s PA news agency.

“I think the England white-ball job is an exciting prospect for anyone, but there are so many good candidates out there. I think Matthew Mott has done a really good job,” he added.

For the unversed, Kumar Sangakkara has worked with England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler at Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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He further backed Buttler to continue leading England in the limited-over formats.

“It is great that Jos Buttler is staying in that leadership role as the side progresses because it is a nice time from what the side is –- and was –- and how it wants to progress in the future,” he said.

“I think the decision making in the England camp has been spot on. I really love the leadership that Rob Key has provided…I think he has been a really smart, practical man, very commonsensical in terms of how he makes decisions and very forward-thinking in how he has set the vision for England cricket,” he added.

For the unversed, the ECB confirmed on Tuesday that Matthew Mott has stepped down as the national men’s white-ball head coach with immediate effect.

The decision follows England’s recent ICC T20 World Cup campaign, where the team was knocked out at the semi-final stage by eventual winners India.

Mott, who met with Rob Key, ECB’s Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, last week, will leave his role after two years in office.

Appointed in May 2022, the 50-year-old Mott enjoyed immediate success, leading the team to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in the autumn of 2022.

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