Sports
Sri Lanka focus on fitness tests after World Cup debacle
by Rex Clementine
Individuals running the national cricket team found a scapegoat following the recent disastrous World Cup campaign pinning all blame on poor fitness standards of the players. Skin fold tests and the two-kilometer run had been highly publicized when the selectors first introduced them. Anyone who failed these tests were made ineligible for selections.
However, the rules were changed when certain favourites of selectors failed fitness tests. Instead of them being ruled out of selections, a bargain was done and instead players got away with fines, a slap on the wrist.
With a new selection panel in place, it remains to be seen what they will do with fitness tests now that everyone is blaming poor fitness standards for below par performances.
Batting coach Naveed Nawaz and Fielding Coach Anton Roux during the World Cup campaign had highlighted poor fitness standards for the disastrous tournament. The fact that both had failed to address their own areas of expertise is a different story. Under Nawaz there were too many batting collapses while Roux proved to be a misfit to handle a national team as evident by the record 16 catches that Sri Lanka spilled during the World Cup.
Sri Lanka’s cricketers will be at Sugathadasa Stadium today to go through the two-kilometer run in the presence of the national selection panel and the coaching staff.
No matter how much emphasis has been placed on key aspects like fitness, unless individuals commit to the cause, we are not going to see improved results. There are so many factors for India’s excellent run-in world cricket at present and one key reason for their success is fitness.
It is not a case of the administration, coaching staff or the selectors imposing minimum fitness requirements on players, but one player’s initiative changed the culture of the entire team.
Virat Kohli took it upon him to raise his own fitness bar and unprecedented success followed his batting. Rest of the Indian team just followed suit before being told by anyone that the modern-day game is not for the fat and the unfit.
The culture within the Sri Lankan team needs to change and someone must lead from front if Sri Lanka are to get back to the glory days in the sport. The easy-going culture within the team at present is not serving any purpose and unless this issue is addressed we are going to see more humiliation for Sri Lankan cricket in the future.
You do find a lot of players with the right attitude but the moment they graduate into the senior team they become part of the ‘chilled out’ culture and as a result fitness, fielding and discipline all suffer major blows.
Gaby Lewis has been rested for Ireland’s upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and West Indies at home in Clontarf as she recovers from a recent leg injury but has been named captain – for the first time at a global event – for the T20 World Cup in June-July in England.
Orla Prendergast, the vice-captain for the World Cup, will lead the side in the tri-series in Lewis’ absence. No vice-captain has been named for the tri-series.
In terms of ins and outs, Jane Maguire, the right-arm medium pacer, has been ruled out of contention with an injury, but her sister Aimee Maguire, the left-arm orthodox spinner, has returned from her own injury and has been included in both squads. Apart from the missing Lewis, there are no changes from the squad for the tri-series, which is a 14-member line-up, for the World Cup.
At the T20 World Cup, Ireland have been grouped with tournament hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, Scotland, Sri Lanka and past winners West Indies.
Ireland are ranked ninth in the format, ahead of only Scotland (11th) among the teams in their group, and will start their World Cup campaign on the second day of competition, against Scotland in Manchester.
Ireland were most recently in action at the T20 World Cup qualifiers played in Nepal in January-February this year, and finished second to Bangladesh.
Lewis’ fitness will be key for Ireland at the World Cup, with her being their top-ranked batter, currently at joint-14th on the ICC T20I rankings. She was also the top run getter at the qualifiers with 276 runs in seven innings, scoring her runs at a strike rate of 119.48.
Prendergast is the next best at No. 26, followed by Amy Hunter at No. 29. Prendergast is also the seventh-ranked allrounder in women’s T20Is.
Ireland squad for women’s T20 World Cup
Gaby Lewis (capt), Orla Prendergast (vice-capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Rebecca Stokell
Ireland squad for tri-series against Pakistan and West Indies
Orla Prendergast (capt), Ava Canning, Christina Coulter Reilly, Alana Dalzell, Laura Delany, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Louise Little, Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Rebecca Stokell
[Cricinfo]
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has issued a statement approving the members nominated for the new Selection Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The appointments have been made by the Sports Minister in accordance with the powers vested under Section 39 (1) of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 and the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2437/24 dated May 21, 2025.
The members of the new selection committee are:
Kapila Wijegunawardena – Chairman
Amal Silva – Member
Brendon Kuruppu – Member
Waruna Waragoda – Member
Vanessa De Silva – Member
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