No Sangakkara, no Mahela, no Herath – Sri Lanka meandering in Tests in recent years

In addition to being cash-strapped, today Sri Lankan cricket finds itself struggling to find success. As it turned out, the retirements of Jayawardene and Sangakkara led to a period of slow decline catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frequent defeats and the occasional impasse between the cricket board and the players give the image of a crisis-ridden sport in a country as passionate about cricket as it has ever been.

But a closer look at the numbers suggests the stagnation is more recent, brought about by the absence of a world-class spin unit capable of dismantling the mightiest batting line-ups in the slow turners of Galle, Colombo and Pallekele.