Mahela may have to lead till 2015

sports | June 18, 2012 2:46 pm

(Srilankamirror) – Former Sri Lankan skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan has said the current captain Mahela Jayawardene may have to lead till the 2015 World Cup in order to provide sufficient time for a successor to be groomed.

Angelo Mathews, the 25-year-old allrounder, is widely seen as a leading candidate to take over when Jayawardene steps down.

Speaking after a session at the R Premadasa Stadium, Dilshan has said, “You can’t give someone the captaincy all of a sudden. He (Mathews) has to be groomed under a good captain for two to three years.”

“Not just on how to handle things on the field, but also off the field. Those are some of the things I learned. It’s not easy, mind you. I hope Angelo will be a good captain, but he has time. He has to work under Mahela.”

“Kumar [Sangakkara], Mahela and I are nearing our retirement age. After the next World Cup we would be gone. I think Mahela will have to shoulder the burden till the next World Cup.”