Sri Lankan spin-bowling legend Muttiah Muralitharan said the team’s performance in the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup was very disappointing, and something which he wasn’t expecting to unfold the way it did.

In the tournament, Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, won just two matches while losing seven games to end their campaign in India at ninth place.

They also missed out on qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy as they finished outside of the top eight teams in the points table. “As far as the Sri Lanka team are concerned, they have the talent, but the thing is they are lacking in commitment and discipline a little bit. If they put in the hard yards and effort, they can definitely be a formidable side.

“They showed some glimpses of it, winning the 2022 Asia Cup, and are capable of beating India, Pakistan and other good sides. But in this year’s World Cup, it was very disappointing and a very below par performance, I didn’t expect that,” said Muralitharan in a conversation with IANS on the sidelines of the OTT launch of his biopic “800” on JioCinema, on Saturday.

Twenty-four hours after their World Cup campaign ended, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership due to government interference in administration, though they can still play international matches. 

“So many problems are happening back home. This cricket board and the country have helped me come to this position. I would say, it’s a mess at the moment and somebody has to come in to set things right,” Muralitharan added.

Source: IANS 
--Agencies