Sri Lanka cricket on Thursday denied allegations, made in certain media reports, that some of the players in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa were not fully engaged or were deliberately defeated.
“Sri Lanka Cricket has not received such a complaint from the ‘team management’ against any player in the national squad,” it said in a statement.
The island team lost the T20I series 3-0 after being extensively beaten by their opponents in all three games.
While South Africa won the first T20I against Sri Lanka with 28 runs, they let loose in the second T20I with nine wickets in front of the hosts. In the third T20I, Sri Lanka was beaten by ten wickets and suffered a series of whitewash from the hands of the Proteas.
“Sri Lanka Cricket would like to inform you that it was the same group of players who played in the ODI series that Sri Lanka won against South Africa. Sri Lanka not only won the ODI series against South Africa 2-1, but also scored crucial points and improved the ranking of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ”, it continues.
The board also urged news organizations to pursue ethical journalism ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup, which begins October 17.
“Sri Lanka Cricket would like to urge the relevant news organizations that published the false and fabricated news to follow ethical journalism practices. “The statement continued.
“Such hoaxes will also have a mental impact on the players who show commitment and a desire to count their presence on the team, as in recent competitions Sri Lanka played in.”
Sri Lanka will play its first T20 World Cup match against Group A opponent Namibia on October 18 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
