SL legend plays down his side's World Cup chances, claims they are heading for a disaster
What's the story?
Sri Lankan legend Arjuna Ranatunga has openly asserted that his side are heading towards a World Cup disaster. The former skipper also added that the team lacks chemistry and the idea of togetherness.
In case you didn't know...
Sri Lankan cricket has almost hit an all-time low as the national side is just not able to record respectable results of late. The Lankan Lions, who are presently touring Australia, lost the first Test match by an innings and 40 runs. In the second Test, the mighty Aussies are on a massive 384-4 at the end of the first day.
Prior to this bi-lateral series, Sri Lanka were also battered by New Zealand, who outplayed them in all three formats of the game.
The heart of the matter
At the moment, there seems to be an issue with the hierarchy, along with the disharmony in the team that is most certainly mirroring on the cricket pitch.
The 1996 World Cup winning captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, believes the same and also feels the team is not even in shape to progress through the first round of the premier cricketing tournament.
He affirmed:
"There is corruption at the board. Players are demoralised. Players are fighting with each other. We have to improve player discipline."
The legendary batsman added:
"There are some players who are not playing for the country but for their own personal gain. They will be kicked out."
The present transport minister of the nation also mentioned that he would contest board elections this month in the bid to create a turnaround in the national team's status off the pitch. The elections are expected to be held this month.
What's next?
At the moment, it looks like a herculean task for Sri Lanka to claim anything from the ongoing Test match against Australia, as they shipped almost 400 runs in the opening day itself. However, after the series down under, they are set to take on South Africa for two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is.