Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya. Image Credits: Twitter

The Technical committee headed by the legendary cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya will be investigating the reasons behind Sri Lanka’s recent failure to get direct qualification for ICC ODI World Cup 2023, the prestigious tournament set to happen later this year in India.

This committee has been appointed by Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, it comprises three other former national players. Notably, they made their first public appearance on April 11. Talking to the media, Jayasuriya stated that they will be asking the coaching management about the reasons behind the team’s failure, as their direct qualification hopes were shattered after losing the New Zealand ODI series.

NZ VS SL ODI 2023
NZ VS SL ODI 2023. Image Credits: Twitter

Sanath Jayasuriya talked about giving confidence to talented young players –

“We will ask the coaching management the reasons for not winning the automatic qualification. They must also give us a short-term plan to improve things. These are a talented bunch of players and they should be given the necessary confidence,” said the former WC-winning player.

Dasun Shanaka-led side lost the chance for automatic qualification after they lost the three-match ODI series against New Zealand by 0-2 in March 2022 (NZ vs SL).

The island nation has played every world cup since the inaugural edition in 1975 and won the trophy in the 1996 edition. Moreover, they also finished as runner-ups in the 2007 and 2011 editions, respectively. While this time, in turn of the events, Sri Laka will be playing in the qualifying tournament for the first time to get a chance to play in the biggest tournament of international cricket.

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is expected to get underway on October 5, India is hosting this event solely for the first time, since hosting it three times in past with neighbouring countries. While the Final of ODI WC 2023 is likely scheduled to take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Besides Ahmedabad, there are other 11 venues in the cricketing hub nation to be part of the marquee event, one prominent venue that is likely to miss this time is the iconic Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCAS) in Mohali, where Men in Blue won against Pakistan in 2011 WC in the semifinals.
As per reports, the 12 venues for the showpiece 46-day event in India are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Mumbai.
The 13th edition of the ICC One-Day International World Cup will be held in India in 2023, with England serving as the defending champions. The marquee is set to begin in October of this year. Men in Blue are set to prepare for the event amid all injury concerns. Team India has lifted the title two times, the last being at their home venue in the 2011 edition, when the MS Dhoni-led side had beaten Sri Lanka in the finals at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.