Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has expressed his disappointment over Sri Lanka’s performance in the recent ODI World Cup. He believes that it was the worst performance ever by Sri Lanka in the tournament and has urged every player to work on their individual skills and bounce back from this tough experience.
Sri Lanka’s poor performance in this year’s Cricket World Cup has surprised many people with the marquee event being played on a familiar territory. Cricket experts have noted that it was their worst World Cup performance since 1992, with only two victories in nine league games, including losses to Afghanistan and Bangladesh. During the tournament, Kusal Mendis took over as captain from Dasun Shanaka, who had to leave the tournament midway due to a muscle issue.
Speaking on News18 Showsha, Muttiah Muralitharan feels that it was the worst performance by his home team in the marquee event and slammed their players for the lack of commitment to the country. He wants everyone to learn from their World Cup failure and bounce back from this difficult situation.
“I would say that ever since we got the World Cup qualification in 1975, this is our worst performance ever. I think it’s because of the lack of commitment. I don’t know what happened in the middle but the fact remains that they weren’t good enough.”
“We should derive a lesson from this World Cup about where we went wrong and each player needs to improve individually. They need to work on themselves and bounce back,” Muttiah Muralitharan said.
Although the pitches were expected to favour subcontinental teams, the Sri Lankan team struggled throughout the competition failing to make an impactful performance. Sri Lanka only managed to win two out of nine games during the tournament and failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy as a result of their low ranking.
They also set an unfavourable record when they were bowled out for 55 runs against India in Mumbai. This collapse of Sri Lanka’s batting meant they were bowled out for their lowest World Cup total, shattering the previous record of 86 runs.
I Hope That The President Of Our Country Will Get Involved In This And Solve This – Muttiah Muralitharan
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan has commented on the ongoing conflict between the sports ministry and Sri Lanka Cricket Board, describing it as a political issue. He has urged the President of Sri Lanka to intervene and resolve the matter, stating that both parties need to work together.
“It’s a political thing happening in Sri Lanka. The sports ministry and SLC are fighting. Between them, the sport got sandwiched. That’s the hard truth, We don’t know who can solve this. There are too many unanswered questions.”
“I hope that the President of our country will get involved in this and solve this. The sports ministry has to listen to the President and the board has to obey the laws of the country. Both the parties need to be on the same page,” Muttiah Muralitharan added.
Recently, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe was sacked by President Ranil Wickremesinghe during a cabinet meeting. This decision came after Ranasinghe suspended the entire Sri Lanka Cricket Board following their 302-run loss to India during the 2023 World Cup.
