Sri Lankan selectors to step down after India series

What's the story?

Sri Lankan cricket continues to be in shambles as reports suggest that its national selectors are set to step down after the current India series.

Former batting great Sanath Jayasuriya is the head of the Sri Lankan selection panel.

The committee's resignation will come into effect after India's single T20I game against Sri Lanka, which is to be held on September 6, after the conclusion of the current ODI series.

In case you didn't know...

Sri Lankan cricket has been struggling to rise from the deep pit that it finds itself in right now. The team was knocked out in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year and failed to win against Zimbabwe in ODIs at home thereafter.

Angelo Mathews resigned from captaincy after the series loss. Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal took up the reins of the ODI and Test teams following his resignation. However, they could not stop the drubbing that Sri Lankan cricket was slated to face against India.

The visitors whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the Test series and have already taken the ODI series with 3 straight victories in the five-match series.

The details

The Sri Lankan selection panel comprises of Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Ranjit Madurusinghe, Eric Upasantha and Asanka Gurusinha. All five members have tendered their resignation to the Sri Lankan Cricket Board.

This selection panel took office in May last year. Their stint with the team saw initial success before a storm came in and ripped Sri Lankan cricket apart. The team hasn't been able to recover from it.

This was Jayasuriya's second stint as the national selector after he held performed the duties from January 2013 to March 2015.

What's next?

The perils of Sri Lankan cricket are far from being over. The team has struggled in its quest for direct ICC World Cup 2019 qualification. Their sole focus should be to win the remaining two ODIs of the current series to inch closer to the qualification.

Sri Lanka are slated to play India again when they travel to the subcontinent for a full-fledged tour later this year.

Author's take

The biggest issue that Sri Lankan cricket faces today is that its players, as well as officials, have shown no will to fight. First, the head coach resigned, then the captain stepped down and now the selectors have followed suit.

The crisis needs to be handled with grit, determination, and persistence. It is time for the senior members of the team and former cricketers of Sri Lanka to join hands to save the sport that's sinking by the day in the country.