‘Painful to watch the current team’

With over 1200 runs, Sanath Jayasuriya is still the highest run getter in Asia Cup. Currently in the UAE as a member of the tournament technical committee, Jayasuriya couldn’t hide his disappointment at Sri Lanka’s early exit. “It is very painful to see the current status. There is no pride in our cricket at the moment. When you lose, you are under pressure, but you should be able to absorb it. I am not too sure that is happening. This is the best time to come out of it because it cannot get worse than this,” said Jayasuriya.

“I am shocked at how they have got some of the basics wrong. Running between the wickets looks awful. There’s no trust among the batsmen. Aravinda and I used simply make eye-contact and run without even calling,” he said.

“A huge concern is that the guys who get starts are not able to finish things off. Batsmen like Rohit Sharma and Shoaib Malik have shown in this tournament how it should be done.

“We are going to face a huge crisis moving forward unless we fix the issues. Only eight teams will play the Champions Trophy and only 10 teams will play the World Cup. We are going to miss out in future if we are not going to sort these issues. Some of the younger cricketing nations have shown professionalism. We cannot take anyone lightly these days. Smaller teams are getting more exposure and they are a threat,” said Jayasuriya.

“At the moment we look below par in all three departments and our fitness is a huge concern for me,” said the former captai.

DUBAI: I am shocked at how they have got some of the basics wrong. Running between the wickets looks awful. There’s no trust among batsmen. SANATH JAYASURIYA, Former Sri Lanka captain