Sri Lanka cricket Chief Selector Pramodaya Wickramasinghe raised concerns on November 10, suggesting that Sri Lanka's underwhelming performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup may have been influenced by external factors. Following their return from India after a final group stage loss to New Zealand in Bengaluru, the Sri Lanka cricket team faced questions regarding their disappointing campaign.
Wickramasinghe, a member of Sri Lanka's triumphant 1996 World Cup squad, hinted at undisclosed revelations, said, "Give me two days to disclose everything about it. This was the result of a conspiracy from outside.”
"It is very sad, I am taking responsibility,” he told reporters at the airport.
The 2023 World Cup proved to be a low point for Sri Lanka, as they recorded their poorest performance since 1992, managing to secure only two wins out of nine matches. The team grappled with a series of injuries that necessitated the inclusion of replacements from outside the original squad. This situation even led to a mid-tournament change in captaincy.
Their disastrous show against India, where they were bowled out for a mere 55 runs, resulted in significant backlash and criticism back home. Subsequently, the sports minister took the drastic step of dismissing the governing body, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). However, the SLC was later reinstated by the court of appeal, further complicating the crisis within Sri Lanka cricket.
On November 9, a joint resolution in parliament, supported by both the government and opposition, called for the resignation of the SLC's management. The government, despite internal divisions over the sports minister's decision to remove the SLC board of management, issued a report recommending a complete overhaul of the governing body's constitution. Proposed reforms include the introduction of a new voting structure for the appointment of office bearers, reflecting the severity of the turmoil in Sri Lankan cricket.
Out of the nine matches that Sri Lanka played, it won only two matches against the Netherlands and England, losing the other seven matches. In the points table, it is placed ninth with four points and a net run rate of -1.419.
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