World cup should have been shared between England and New Zealand : Min. Ranatunga

Former world cup winning captain turned politician Arjuna Ranatunga has opined that this year’s world cup should have been shared between England and New Zealand. “This year’s world cup final was one of the best matches that I have seen,” Ranatunga said during an event in Mirigama today (Jul 16). The world cup was awarded to England since they had scored more boundaries after a thrilling encounter between New Zealand saw scores being levelled at the end of the game.

Commenting on Sri Lanka’s performance in the tournament, he said the team had performed more than what was expected from them. “We could’ve entered the semi-finals if we had chosen a proper team,” Mr. Ranatunga said while pointing out that the batting middle-order had failed to perform on several occasions. However, he noted that the newcomers had showed gradual improvement throughout the tournament.

The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, lashed out at the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) citing the team’s inability to improve themselves. “These administrators spend huge amounts of money to go and watch world cup matches. However, they are reluctant to spend in order to uplift the standard of school cricket,” he claimed.

He cautioned that current sports minister Harin Fernando will also join the list of former sport ministers who destroyed cricket, if steps are not taken to guide the sport in the correct path.