Kumar Sangakkara, man of the match when Sri Lanka won the World Twenty20 final two years ago, has praised a “smart move” by England in rehiring his former international team-mate Mahela Jayawardene as a coaching consultant for this year’s tournament.

Jayawardene mentored England’s batsmen during their Test series against Pakistan last October and is currently in the middle of a second 10-day spell with Eoin Morgan’s short-form side before their opener against West Indies in Mumbai on Wednesday.

With Sri Lanka also in Group One, the 38-year-old’s appointment was not well received at home, however, and prompted their board’s president, Thilanga Sumathipala, to call for a two‑year cooling-off period before retired players are allowed to work with rival national teams.

“I’m very disappointed that a national captain, within a few months of retirement, has been retained by another team at a World Cup. I had a lot of respect and gratitude for Mahela’s knowledge but now he’s adviser to a competing team of ours,” Sumathipala told ESPNCricinfo.

However, Sangakkara, himself recently appointed a Sri Lankan selector, has no issue with his close friend advising England’s cricketers, insisting only the players themselves can inflict damage on opponents and pointing to Jayawardene’s record in 18 years of national service before his retirement after last year’s 50-over World Cup.

“I haven’t spoken to Mahela about the role too much,” Sangakkara told the Guardian. “It’s awkward for him to talk about something that is in progress but I know what his approach will be, getting players to think about how they adapt to situations and manipulating fields against the spinners, which is key in the subcontinent.

“There will be a lot of valuable information but at the end of the day it’s down to the players who walk out on to the field. It’s down to them, in that moment, executing their skills. The England team approach looks very conducive to playing expressive, positive cricket.”

Asked about Sumathipala’s comments, he added: “There has been some talk about it but it’s nothing Mahela will take seriously – it’s just chitchat. Like me, Mahela has been out of the Sri Lankan Twenty20 side for two years and England have been lucky enough to invite him to be part of their coaching staff.

“It was a smart move by England and something any professional who has retired from the international game would accept. You would always prefer to give back to your own country first but the way Mahela conducted himself as a player for Sri Lanka over the years has been exemplary.”

The 38-year-old Sangakkara, who played his final Test match last August but will turn out domestically for Surrey and the Caribbean Premier League side Jamaica Tallawahs this year, concedes the hosts India remain favourites for this year’s title but points to his country’s victorious campaign in 2014 as proof that the field remains wide open.

Sri Lanka, then working under the current England assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, went into the tournament in Bangladesh on the back of a bitter dispute between the players and their board over pay and conditions, while Sangakkara and Jayawardene had been criticised by the selector Sanath Jayasuriya for going public on their plans for retirement from the format.

Sangakkara, whose unbeaten 52 helped his side chase 131 to beat India by six wickets in the final, recalls: “We had a very good side with an experienced batting lineup and strong variety in our bowling but going into the tournament, it was not the most settled time for Sri Lankan cricket, with some disputes going on.

“But all of this actually brought us closer together as a team; it made us even more determined to do our job for the supporters and the country. In the end, it was an emotional way for myself and Mahela to sign off from our Twenty20 international careers.

“This year India are playing some excellent cricket and in home conditions they are very strong, so will come into it with a lot of confidence. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma allow them to trust their batting lineup and they have a good solid bowling attack.

“But as we have seen, Twenty20 cricket is such a volatile form of the game, things can change in a match so quickly that any side can get on a roll. A team like South Africa or England, who aren’t as used to the conditions, could still succeed, as the West Indies did in Sri Lanka in 2012.”

(The Guardian)