Sri Lankan spinning legend Muttiah Muralitharan unleashed a scathing assessment of the state of cricket in his home country, questioning the passion of current players and lamenting the negative impact of money in the game.
Although sixth in the Test rankings is by no means poor, their ODI placing sits them behind Bangladesh in eighth, and they are at ninth in the T20I charts behind high-flying newcomers Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka’s poignant fall from grace has coincided with the staggered departure of their lauded golden generation. The likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sanagakkara and Muralitharan himself left huge holes after their exits from the international arena, and Rangana Herath’s recent departure was also a huge loss. A new school of stars has never quite emerged to the standard of their predecessors.
“England is doing really well in ODIs. Australia has become weak and is no longer the team it once was,” he added.
“You have got two good wrist spinners in India right now and the Indian selectors are also confident of their ability based on their impressive performance. There are hardly any wrist spinners in other countries. The other countries can’t copy India.
“But how good Kuldeep and Chahal will be at the World Cup, will depend on the conditions. England pitches in June and July usually assists swing bowling.”
