Willis lays out ambition to aid Sri Lanka’s next generation

Sri Lanka’s new high performance manager Simon Willis, has said he aims to bridge the gap in standards between Sri Lanka’s domestic system and the international game.

High-profile players and some administrators have repeatedly drawn attention to the ailing health of Sri Lanka’s first-class system. Though an overhaul of the Premier League tournaments is beyond Willis’ purview, he has outlined a vision to create a well-defined “player pathway” from grassroots cricket to the international level, and to create more cohesion within the system.

“We’ve got to work together so that when players get picked, it doesn’t get two or three years to get established in international level,” Willis said. “We have to ensure that everything we do underneath – whether that’s A team, Under-23 or Under-19 – is preparing them for transition to an international environment.

“That might not be just cricket skills. It might be travelling overseas. People might struggle being away from home for a long period of time. We need to prepare them for that. It might be playing in different conditions – like what we’ve seen in England with a swinging ball.”

Sri Lanka have struggled in all formats over the past 18 months, making little impact in major …

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