Sri Lanka’s dismal performance in T20 World Cup

The Sri Lankan Cricket team’s sickening performance in the ICC T20 World Cup disheartened the country’s cricket fans. Since the victory of the 2014 T20 World Cup, the national cricket team has been unable to qualify for a semi-final of a major ICC competition.

While the most popular sport of the island has been experiencing a considerable decline in performance, the other teams who were behind us have progressed and surpassed us. Before 2015, England was a hopeless team in white ball cricket, but today they have become a highly dominant outfit in the shorter versions of the game. New Zealand, which was once considered a relatively weak cricket team, has evolved to become such an entertaining, world-class side.

It would have been extremely painful for local fans to see their side going down like a pack of cards during the Super Eight stage. In the past, whenever Sri Lanka hosted an ICC tournament, the national team was able to qualify for the finals. Unfortunately, today the team even struggles to beat associate teams in home conditions.

Some of the decisions and selections during the tournament raised serious question marks. The omission of a dynamic batsman like Kusal Janith Perera for most part of the tournament baffled experts and observers. Despite winning the toss, the team management decided to bowl first at R. Premadasa International cricket stadium against New Zealand when everyone felt they should have done the opposite.

Another huge cause for concern is the deterioration in the physical fitness of the national cricketers. A number of players got injured during the tournament and that had a huge setback on the performance of the team. Players have been accused of neglecting their fitness and health apart from not paying adequate attention to improve their game by going beyond their comfort zones. The current cricketers have been criticised for having partying and pleasure-seeking lifestyles in addition to not having the required commitment and discipline to excel at international cricket. Not long ago, few cricketers were reprimanded for consuming drugs and drinking under the influence of alcohol.

In the modern era, white ball cricket is dominated by power hitting and it is an area Sri Lanka has been found wanting. Unlike teams like the West Indies and South Africa, we do not possess batsmen who have got the muscle power to clear boundary lines. Furthermore, there has been a noticeable regression among the modern-day local batsmen’s ability to score runs against spin bowlers. 

Kumar Sangakkara, who served as a commentator during the tournament, attributed it to the unwillingness of batsmen to play innovative shots like sweep/ reverse sweep.

In the wake of the embarrassing performance of the team, Shammi Silva-led cricket administration is facing mounting criticism. Silva has been spearheading the administrative body of the game since 2019, and there has been no visible progress in the most popular sport of the country under his leadership. Sri Lanka is perhaps the only mainstream cricket-playing country where national-level cricketers do not even have access to a swimming pool (at R. Premadasa stadium – where the training sessions are held) to recover after practices. Nevertheless, the maligned Cricket Board is attempting to build international cricket stadiums in places like Jaffna perhaps to please the political leaders of the Government.

The absence of visionary and futuristic administrators has hindered the progress of the most beloved sport in the country by no small measure. Only a sound, long-term plan together with far-sighted administrators can ensure the revival of Sri Lanka’s cricket – which is followed with so much passion and enthusiasm by the people.