Sri Lanka legend Arjuna Ranatunga criticises SLC's contribution to development of cricket

Sri Lankan cricket had left behind their heydays quite a long time ago. There was a period in cricket when the Sri Lankan side consisted of superstars like Aravinda de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, and many more. These players also helped Sri Lanka shock the cricket fraternity when they won the World Cup in 1996. Later on, players like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene went on to make their country proud by winning the T20 World Cup in 2014. Since the stalwarts retired, Sri Lanka's transition phase has seemed to be a never-ending struggle.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board recently reported a net surplus of Rs 6.3 billion, the highest ever for a financial year in the organisation's history, that is closing in on 48 years of existence. World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, however, stated that the record surplus revenue was generated from television rights, sponsorships, and the International Cricket Council, and not from playing and winning matches.

"This surplus is not from playing and winning matches. This money is from television rights, from the International Cricket Council and sponsorships, so you cannot attribute this success to the SLC administration," Ranatunga was quoted as saying by Dailymirror.lk

"We must check and see how much of this has actually been spent on the development of Sri Lanka cricket."

Going forward it appears even qualifying for the World Cup is a challenge for us: Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga, who is also the Chairman of the National Sports Council, bewailed the fact that how Sri Lankan cricket has deteriorated over the years, and now they are finding it tough to beat a team like Afghanistan on a regular basis.

"It's disappointing about the team, and how much it has fallen. When we were playing, we didn't even pay attention to teams like Afghanistan. But now they are outperforming us and even beating them has become a challenge. Going forward it appears even qualifying for the World Cup is a challenge for us," Ranatunga added.

It has to be noted that while the current Sri Lankan players lack the qualities their predecessors had, the Afghanistan team has improved by leaps and bounds in a short span of time.

The Sri Lankan team is currently in Zimbabwe, playing the World Cup Qualifiers, where they are placed in Group B alongside the likes of Oman, Scotland, Ireland, and the UAE. So far, the Dasun Shanaka-led side has played one match against the UAE and won by a massive 175 runs. Sri Lanka are aiming to qualify for the ODI World Cup, that is scheduled to be held in India in October-November.