Which is best: local knowledge or imported wisdom? It is a decision Sri Lanka cricket will be faced with in about four months' time when Trevor Bayliss leaves his position as head coach of the national team.
The Australian confirmed last week that he plans to step down after the World Cup. For once, there is a realistic chance he could be replaced by a Sri Lankan.
It has never been particularly trendy for international teams, especially in Asia, to appoint a home-bred coach. There is currently an equal split among the 10 full Test nations. Five have foreign coaches: England, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Of the other five, three - West Indies, Pakistan and New Zealand - have had imported hired hands in charge until relatively recently. South Africa and Australia, the other two, are clearly the most secure in their own wisdom.
It would take quite a leap of faith for Sri Lanka to promote from within when the post becomes available, but they do have the option in the form of Chandika Hathurusinghe, the one-time UAE coach.
He transformed the UAE national team during eight months in charge in 2006, a role that he was so keen on he retired prematurely from playing to take it.
He applied for the head coach position of his homeland when Tom Moody, the Australian, left after the 2007 World Cup.
He did not get it, but was kept close to the team, first as coach of the Sri Lanka A team, then as the batting coach of the senior side.
Now he appears to be well placed if the powers-that-be do opt to go native.
pradley@thenational.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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ON%20TRACK
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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