With one game remaining in the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka’s coach, captain, and selection committee are under increasing pressure to quit.
Sri Lanka’s chances of making it to the semi-finals were dashed in a second Super Eights loss to New Zealand, as they never even came close to their 169 mark. It also sparked chants for heads to roll and unheard-of jeering from the 35,000-strong throng in Colombo.
After Sri Lanka’s batting was repeatedly exposed on turning pitches, the group victory over Australia raised hopes for a run to at least the semi-finals, but it is now only a faint memory.
Sanath Jayasuriya, the head coach of Sri Lanka, has previously told the board that he would leave after the World Cup. After a humiliating campaign, it now appears that captain Dasun Shanaka and the selectors will either be fired or follow suit.
“We have one more game in the competition and we will address what went wrong during the World Cup after that game and take the necessary steps,” AFP quoted a Sri Lanka Cricket spokesperson as saying.
Marvan Atapattu, the former captain, was critical of Sri Lanka’s preparations.
“Most teams have moved on with the times playing T20 cricket, but we have stagnated and made little progress. You need to identify your core players and stick with them. In Sri Lanka’s case, they had no idea what their team was going to be even a week before the tournament. It doesn’t work that way in international sport,” Atapattu told AFP.
In the first week of the competition, Sri Lanka lost three key bowlers to injury, and the quantity of profitable franchise cricket being played has been blamed.
“When your players are involved in league cricket all over the world, there is a good chance that they break down just before a crucial campaign and that’s what happened to Sri Lanka,” Atapattu added.
