Scheduling and travel unfair on us – Theekshana

Rex Clementine
in New York

Sri Lanka’s travelling in this T-20 World Cup has left the team exhausted and an official complaint has been put forward to the ICC. While Sri Lanka’s Manager Mahinda Halangoda refused to blame the demanding schedule for the poor performance in the first T-20 International, spin bowler Maheesh Theekshana criticized the treatment meted out to the team.

“It’s so unfair on us. Our four games in the group stage are being played in four different venues. The flight we took from Miami to New York, we had to wait for eight hours at the airport. We were supposed to leave at 8pm, but we got the flight only at 5am.”

“That’s the reason why we canceled the practice two days before the game. From our hotel at New York, it’s a one hour 40 minutes’ drive to the ground. So, we cancelled the practice. Even on match day, we had to wake up at 5 am to get to the ground on time,” Theekshana told journalists.

“We had just one training session in New York, that too fielding. It’s not ideal before we play a big game. Prior to the flight in Miami, we just slept for three hours,” Theekshana added.

India will play their first three games of the tournament in New York and are staying a short distance from the ground. So are South Africa. Sri Lanka and Netherlands are the only two teams in the tournament to play at four different venues.

“Some teams have got comfortable schedules. South Africa for example are staying just 15 minutes from the ground in New York. We are in Brooklyn, which is one hour and 40 minutes. Some teams are playing practice games and tournament games in one venue. That’s not fair.”