Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are considered ex-cricket giants in international cricket, but in recent years, both teams have been struggling and have not performed well in international tournaments. Neither side progressed to the semi-finals of last year’s ODI World Cup and was beaten by Afghanistan. The Pakistan cricket team’s miseries also persisted in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and they were again unable to make it to the Super 8s.
In the tournament played in the West Indies and the USA last time, Pakistan performed extremely badly in the first match, losing to the United States of America in Dallas.
At the same time, Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh, so they could not reach the second stage of the competition. It was worse as Pakistan lost their first Test series at home to Bangladesh; New Zealand defeated England in the third test at Southampton after rain washed out the last day’s play, leaving the match drawn.
Such declining performances have raised the eyebrows of cricket lovers. In a conversation on Cricbuzz, ex-Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik opined that both teams have faded away due to the absence of quality players, which, according to him, is a result of poor domestic cricket. He affirmed the fact that the financial crises have affected infrastructure and, hence, the quality of players being developed.
“It is very paramount for teams to have a very strong domestic structure to compete in the international arena,” Karthik added. ‘Both teams have struggled in this area for several years, and financial issues have affected infrastructure, domestic cricket, and the quality of players. ‘
Karthik went on to give an insight into how cricket development has come in cycles, with financial involvement in domestic cricket having a direct impact on international cricket.
During the years, Pakistan lacked proper batting depth after Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, which cost the Pakistan team dearly in close Q/F matches. In the same way, Sri Lanka continues to search for the replacement of legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who retired from cricket almost a decade before.
