The Sri Lanka cricket team used to be counted amongst the best teams in the world. Over the years it has produced legends like Ranatunga, Jayasuriya , Arvinda De Silva, Marvan Attapatu, Mahela Jayawardena , Kumar Sangakkara , Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas among others. These are the names that gave a lot of headaches to opposition camps as there was always the fear that these players can inflict lot of damage.
In August last year, the Sri Lankan team had been celebrating a 3-0 whitewash over the mighty Australian side and now they are themselves being thrashed 3-0 by India. Not only this series, the performance of the present team earlier against weaker sides Bangladesh, then against Zimbabwe also led to a lot of criticism. And the world is left wondering what has hit this team down.
Just recently, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jaywardena and Tillakaratne Dilshan bid adieu to international cricket leaving big shoes to be filled in. The Sri Lankan team has been left in a transition phase which has so far not been a good one and there seems to be no sign of the next big star.
Well, the Sri Lanka cricket board has proved to be a failure in handling the cricketing matters and have been criticized by many ex-cricketers as well. There have been allegations against some of the board members including chief , Thilanga Sumathipala and many demanding his resignation. Even Angelo Mathews had demanded a change in the country’s cricketing system.
Sri Lanka Cricket Board chief- Thilanga Sumathipala
“Sri Lanka Cricket and the manner in which it is being administered and managed is so disgusting that I don’t watch our national cricket anymore”, said Arjuna Ranatunga.
“Short-term process is good for a few months, one or two series, but not for the future. So we need to seriously look at the team in the long-term and not keep chopping and changing,” said Aravinda de Silva, who quit as head of the board’s cricket committee in May.