Mickey Arthur crumbling under pressure

By Harsha Amarasinghe

Sri Lanka head coach Mickey Arthur lost the plot once more following Sri Lanka’s series defeat to India in the second ODI worked off in R. Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka were in a commanding position to clinch what would have been a great win to level the series, but India bowler Deepak Chahar did what Bhuvneshwar Kumar did four years ago; leading them to an unlikely victory from a hopeless situation.

What caught the attention of a number of spectators all over the world was Arthur’s behaviour at the end of the game. He seemed to be having a heated exchange of words with Sri Lanka’s new limited overs captain Dasun Shanaka.

Shanaka himself had a poor day as captain, but acted maturely when Arthur seemed to be all over him. Shanaka pointed the finger at the dressing room meaning to say that things like this had to be sorted out in the dressing room and not in front of cameras, after which Arthur walked off clearly in anger. 

Former Sri Lanka middle order batsman Russel Arnold who was in the commentary box, tweeted, “That conversation between Coach and captain should not have happened on the field but in the dressing room,” to which Arthur later replied, “Russ, we win together and lose together, but we learn all the time! Dasun and I are growing a team and we both were very frustrated we did not get over the line! It was actually a very good debate, no need to make mischief out of it.”

Arthur should be aware of the fact that Sri Lanka Cricket are already in the hunt for his possible successor. Former Sri Lanka legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan publicly claimed that Roshan Mahanama should take over as head coach. Daily Mirror understands that Mahanama is being persuaded by very high authorities, but Mahanama is well and truly a gentleman, and would take his time before making a decision.

So, it is obvious that Arthur is under pressure, and he is melting down. His behaviour on Tuesday was not acceptable and should face disciplinary actions. 

The cameras also captured his reaction to an injured Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who was walking past him in some pain. Arthur did not even care to look at the player.

The two do not have the best of relationships. Rajapaksa in an interview claimed Arthur ‘doesn’t have a plan’ and the former Pakistan head coach struck back by calling Rajapaksa ‘a sloppy cricketer.’ Many anticipated an awkward reunion, but the wounds run deeper as the cameras captured.

Mickey Arthur is a dead man walking; his days are numbered, but the images of the Sri Lanka head coach’s behaviour is certainly not setting the correct example for the hundreds and thousands watching the game.