Former champion demoralized

Bruised Sri Lanka damaged by defeats, injuries

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Bruised by heavy defeats in South Africa and Australia, the Sri Lankan cricket team goes to the World Cup bearing little resemblance to the team that won it in 1996.

The team is plagued by a lack of winning performances, a huge controversy on players salaries and a new injury to its biggest weapon -- spinner Muthiah Muralitharan.

"As I see it, there is a problem of low morale in the team and this is a problem," chief executive of the Sri Lankan cricket board, Anura Tennekoon, told The Associated Press.

"We have to do something about it before the World Cup," Tennekoon said. "The team should see the World Cup as a new tournament and should approach it with total confidence leaving behind the bad memories of the two tours."

Though the team suffered badly in both the tours, Tennekoon said the tournaments have given the team the "best imaginable" preparation for the World Cup.

"The biggest problem our players faced was the bouncy pitches in South Africa," Tennekoon said. "But look at a brighter side -- our players have got great experience and exposure ahead of the World Cup."

The cricket board appears worried by the new injury that star spinner Muralitharan suffered on his leg in Sri Lanka's four-wicket loss to Australia on Jan. 15.

Muralitharan, whose action caused by a slightly deformed wrist has led to calls that he throws rather than bowls the ball, missed the first half of the tri-series tournament against Australia and England because he was recovering from hernia problems. Now his calf muscle strain would be monitored as Sri Lanka warms up for the World Cup.

Muralitharan is one of the most prolific bowlers in cricket, taking 437 test wickets from 78 matches. In limited-overs internationals, he's taken 304 wickets in 203 matches, a feat only achieved by Pakistan's Wasim Akram.

The board will also have to tackle the issue of players' payments in a way that it does not affect the already low morale of the team.

The cricket board has offered the players 10-12 percent of the guaranteed fee of US$6.4 million from the International Cricket Council, the sport's world governing body, but the players were demanding 20 percent.

"We cannot pay them what they demand because the money we receive has to be used for the development of the game for the next four years. I hope saner counsel will prevail and that they agree to the terms we have put to them," cricket board chief Hemanka Amarasuriya has been quoted as saying.

"I am very disappointed with their attitude. I never gave serious thought when people came up to me and said that the cricketers were playing for money, but now I have my doubts."

The Sri Lankan cricket board has retained hard-hitting opener Sanath Jayasuriya as captain and recalled veteran left-hander Hashan Tillakaratne to the 15-member squad.

Tillekaratne, 36, who has played only two one-day internationals since the 1999 World Cup, is included as a reserve wicketkeeper.

Left-handed opening batsman Avishka Gunawardena and right-arm seamer Charitha Buddika Fernando also have been recalled while left-arm seamers Nuwan Zoysa, Sujeewa de Silva and offspinner Thilan Samaraweera have been left out of the side.

Veteran Aravinda de Silva, who became the third player to reach 9,000 runs in one-day internationals during the triangular series match against Australia on Jan. 21, is on the team.

Only Indian pair Sachin Tendulkar with 11,546 runs from 303 games and Mohammad Azharuddin on 9,378 from 334 matches stand ahead of de Silva on the all-time list.

 

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