Former Sri Lanka captain, Kumar Sangakkara, has shared his insights on how to help smaller cricketing nations compete at the highest level. Speaking at World Cricket Connects, an event hosted by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s, Sangakkara emphasised the need for financial investment and strategic planning.

Sangakkara highlighted the importance of financial support for cricketing nations like Sri Lanka. "It’s about money. Sri Lanka needs money to invest in the game. How that money comes about, is it going to be ICC handouts, is it going to be the franchise game? How do you become self-sustainable if the market is so small or not as attractive?" he questioned.

The former captain pointed out the benefits of the franchise landscape for players from smaller nations. "The players have avenues to go beyond Sri Lanka in terms of earning a living and plying their trade because of the franchise landscape," Sangakkara noted. He also discussed the future of bilateral cricket and its impact on nations like Sri Lanka. "Sri Lanka’s place depends on how bilateral cricket continues to exist. Will it exist in the current format? Will it change?"

"Will private investment partner with the home boards to ensure they are not just skimming the cream off the top but also investing in the grassroots and growing the game?" he asked.  He stressed the need to build the home game and expand the consumer base.

"We have a governing body, the ICC, which is not completely independent as it is made up of the 12 home boards who are full members. Then you have private equity and private enterprise investing massively in the game through the IPL and common ownership throughout the franchise game," he explained.

Sangakkara, who retired from cricket in 2017 after making 594 appearances for Sri Lanka, called for innovative thinking and the inclusion of outside perspectives to grow the game.

 "There are lots of stakeholders who need to play a part in the solution that the game requires and the direction of travel. Having just cricketers or traditional administrators administer the game, is that the right thing? I’m not necessarily sure that it is," he remarked. "We need newer ideas, new perspectives, outside perspectives coming in to enhance the thinking in cricket and grow it as we knowit can."