Sri Lanka start the new year with questions about their credibility-BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka’s inauspicious start to 2026 against Pakistan has worrying overtones for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and at home.
Beaten comprehensively in their last meeting in Pakistan, Sri Lanka can assess that their poor showing in Dambulla is an indicator of a team without direction or composure to dominate in home conditions.
There’s something in the air that doesn’t augur well for a team adrift of cohesion and indications suggest it has everything to do with a disjoint between coaching and the playing group that appears fractured.
Coach Sanath Jayasuriya’s intimation that he is done with leading the country’s fortunes could be an indicator of my feeling that another change in the guard is not far off.
Delving further into my gut feel is the recent events in Pakistan where a bomb blast in close vicinity to the Sri Lanka team while on tour, divided the touring squad and lost the momentum of what could have been a closer contest.
Adding to it was the sacking of skipper Charith Asalanka just within sight of the upcoming World Cup which would have without doubt derailed the country’s preparation.
Politics has and is evidently clear, plays a major role in Sri Lanka cricket, and the ongoing events underlines this belief.
While the Sports Ministry in the country has limited control over matters governing the game controlled by the ICC because if their financial support, there’s definitely a duty of care to from the country’s perspective to protect its image on a global scale. The ICC supports the elected administration to do what’s required to keep them credible.
Well, appointing an underperforming player as Skipper is a case in point. The administration may be blind to this fact but Sri Lankan supporters around the world are not.
If Sri Lanka cannot extract themselves out of this rut, the writing is on the wall about their mediocrity and lack of direction. Right now they are still in the cellar trying to find the stairway out of its depths.
Dambulla has proven to be a unhappy hunting ground against visiting teams so the choice of venue is as questionable as the team selections and where the direction lies.
Batting first and scoring 128 in less than the full quota of overs, shows clear lack of application and ability to deal with a Pakistan attack that is not average but obviously better than the home team.
Pakistan chased down the mediocre under par total without duress.
The games ahead will reveal the mettle the home side is made of and where they sit in 2026.
