BY : Syed Waseem Afzal
Rated as one of the most elegant batsmen in world cricket, Roshan Mahanama retired prematurely and has not done justice to his undoubted talent.

Roshan Mahanama who is here as one of the referees told UAEcricket.com, “I had a couple of years left in me”.

“When Sri Lankan Board were picking up two squads, I was one of the candidates for the captaincy but to my disappointment, I was not selected in any of the teams”, stated Mahanama.

According to Mahanama, he could not accept that, decided to leave, and thereafter retired when he was at the peak of his career.

Mahanama further said, “I was 33 then and I was fit enough to be in the team but at that period of time when I should have been a regular member of the team, I found myself in and out of the team.

This former Sri Lankan star then went to Australia to play a season so that he could be in touch with cricket.

When asked why he did not had a particular slot in the Sri Lankan batting lineup, he replied, “I was an opener by trade but was made to bat down the order and this frequent change of batting order affected my career”.

He explained further that it’s very difficult to settle in a new position every now and then because one has to change his shot selection and build his innings accordingly.

“Cricket is in my blood as I have been playing it since the age of 9 and I will always be in touch with cricket, be it in any way”.

Mahanama said that he will contribute to cricket while playing and will also set up a coaching clinic to pass on his skills to youngsters.