Captain praises outgoing coach’s influence on the team
Arthur had spent much of the pandemic in Sri Lanka while borders were closed, and has had a number of public endorsements from his players, including Karunaratne and Wanindu Hasaranga. He is, however, leaving Sri Lanka for a “head of cricket” role with Derbyshire, despite having wanted to stay on.
The board, acting on the advice of SLC’s technical committee headed by Aravinda de Silva, had asked several of the men’s national side’s coaches to reapply for their roles – a risk Arthur was unwilling to take given the Derbyshire offer.
“Mickey’s a different kind of coach – he’s someone who builds a lot of confidence,” Karunaratne said. “When you get to this level, more than skills, it’s your mental side and your preparation that’s important. Mickey treats each player differently.”
“He’s a father to some, a friend to others,” Karunaratne said of Arthur. “He knows how to handle each player. He’s built a lot of confidence in the team. We saw a lot of players come through under him, and we saw players who were already good get better while he was around. He’s a very good coach. I’m disappointed he’s leaving us. Actually, as players, we’re very sad. But I’m sure he’ll be of great service to Derbyshire.”
Arthur’s final assignment with Sri Lanka is the two-Test series against West Indies, starting Sunday in Galle.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf