In just three days into the first test against South Africa at Centurion Park, the Sri Lanka team is in dire straits with five of their top players nursing injuries involving their leg muscles, such as hamstring and thigh.
This is the result of players being totally unfit due to the failure of Sri Lanka Cricket to ensure the players' well being after an almost eight months in cold storage due to restrictions brought about by the Covid pandemic.
After such a long break the players had to start practice to prepare themselves for the LPL and then the tour of South Africa. It must be understood that during the LPL players were involved in back to back games and this was indeed a physical and mental strain on them.
Sri Lanka Cricket would have done well then to postpone the South Africa Tour till after England toured Sri Lanka, giving the players time to practice and get into full physical fitness in time to take on England. The English Team’s tour of Sri Lanka should have been given preference over the Lankan team’s tour to South Africa as it would have brought financial benefits with it.
In fact Sri Lanka Cricket were, at one time contemplating on postponing the tour to South Africa, but suddenly, at the last moment, decided to go ahead and please the South African Board without considering the players fitness.
Now with five to six of their top players on the injury list Sri Lanka will have to go into the second Test in Johannesburg with virtually a second string team that is underprepared due to the lack of time.
Centurion is located 6,000 metres above sea level, where the players would need more Oxygen but, due to insufficient time and health restrictions the Lankan team had a mere three days of practice to gear up for this all important ICC TEST Championship, putting the hosts in a favourable position and depriving the visitors of putting up a good show in the second innings with half the side down with injuries.
Team Manager Asantha de Mel who updated the teams progress within his purview was reluctant to comment on the players’ injuries since day two of the Test match after SLC has advised him not to do so.
Subsequently, the Lankan National coach Mickey Arthur by passed all and divulged about players’ injuries to foreign media without informing the SLC media who had intermediate links to both parties. Why is the SLC adopting double standards? We would like to emphasize to the SLC that all local media are depending on the SLC and are striving hard to support the game and good work of the SLC but acts like this will create an unpleasantness between the two parties.
It is high time the SLC pulls up their socks and invest in a qualified foreign physio or a trainer to look into the players physical fitness, endurance and the stamina if we are to remain in the present competition levels, especially in the Test arena, where all other countries are focusing on heavily.
