As the postmortem commences on Sri Lanka’s disappointing Cricket World Cup campaign, Consultant Coach Mahela Jayawardene points to the players’ poor fitness levels as a significant factor contributing to the team’s subpar performance during the tournament.
The team returned to the island on Friday, securing a ninth-place finish out of ten teams in the Group Stage, thereby missing qualification for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan—marking the first time Sri Lanka will entirely miss out on an ICC event.
Highlighting areas that require attention going forward, Jayawardene emphasized the paramount importance of addressing fitness concerns. He stated, “For me, the biggest thing is the fitness. What I noticed over the course of a tournament like this, because of our fitness, fatigue set in, and the performance dwindled.”
“From the first game to the last, we saw guys make a lot more mistakes. That happens with mental and physical fatigue, and then the execution and concentration lack because of that.”
Sri Lanka also grappled with injuries both before and during the tournament. Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, considered one of the world’s top all-rounders, was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera was available only in the latter part of the tournament. Over the last two years, Sri Lanka has struggled to field its best team in major tournaments due to a series of injuries.
During this World Cup, fast bowler Lahiru Kumara and captain Dasun Shanaka suffered injuries that curtailed their availability throughout Sri Lanka’s campaign.
Once again, Sri Lanka’s uncompetitive domestic cricket structure was identified as an area requiring urgent attention. Jayawardene stressed, “The domestic cricket, the skill set, the standard needs to improve. If we talk about the future, we need to play our domestic cricket on good wickets (similar to those in other countries) so that when the team plays overseas, there is less adjustment required.”
