Minister of Sports Harin Fernando emphasized the need for modesty and discipline among national cricket players, suggesting that such behavior could mitigate the criticism they face after match losses.

Speaking on the current state of the team, Minister Fernando highlighted certain deficiencies in the attitudes of modern players. 

Furthermore, he said: “If the team had been more humble and their attitudes had shifted, the people of Sri Lanka would not have been so critical of match losses. People have a deep love for cricket.”

Meanwhile, Fernando pointed out that a new temporary coach has been appointed for the Sri Lankan team, claiming that the new coach has already implemented changes, including enforcing grooming standards such as haircuts. 

“According to what I heard, the first thing he did was to cut everyone’s hair...and remove their earrings…The coach has taken significant steps to instill discipline right from the start,” Fernando added.

He also drew comparison with past cricket legends, stating “players like Sanath Jayasuriya exhibited excellent discipline. There seems to be a slight lack of this quality in modern players.”

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya was recently appointed the interim head coach of Sri Lankan team after Chris Silverwood parted ways with the island nation in the aftermath of an unimpressive campaign at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.