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From the Press Box by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

With just six weeks to go before the 2003 World Cup, Sri Lanka cricket finds itself in total disarray following comprehensive defeats in South Africa and Australia.

The manner in which Sanath Jayasuriya's boys are performing Down Under does not give much confidence to their supporters and followers that they will even get past the pool stage of the World Cup competition. Sri Lanka are drawn in Pool 'B' with South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya and Canada.

There is no doubt that South Africa and Australia at home are a different kettle of fish than when they tour the subcontinent. Defeat against these teams can be accepted if Sri Lanka had played good cricket and lost gracefully. But that has not been the case so far. Sri Lanka have been losing matches without a semblance of a fight and they have been failing in all three departments - batting, bowling and fielding, which gives rise to questions whether the captain is actually in control of his team.

It was not long ago that Jayasuriya boasted that he had 100 percent backing from his players. That was when Sri Lanka were on a roll in the initial part of the year. Whether he has that same control over his team today is questionable.

He seems to have lost faith in them and his constant battle with the selectors to have players of his choice has not helped the cause of Sri Lanka cricket at all. He had his way for the Australian tour and we all know how Nuwan Zoysa performed.

Jayasuriya's appalling form with the bat has not helped either. His batting technique on the hard and bouncy wickets has been exposed to the core. He either needs to make some adjustments to get over it or drop himself down the order to enable someone else to lay the foundation for a big total. His dismissals early in the innings has had a psychological effect on the team and contributed to Sri Lanka's batting downfall.

His captaincy has also suffered as a result and some of his field placings and bowling changes have been inexplicable. These are only part of Jayasuriya's problems. Others probably concern those outside cricket and, it would be in the best interest of his team if he stops dabbling with politicians and concentrates on the game at hand.

It is reliably learnt that Jayasuriya had offered to step down from the captaincy, but the selectors would have none of it especially in the middle of a tour. In fact, he has already been appointed captain for the World Cup. If at all Jayasuriya feels that he is becoming a burden to the team he should drop himself in a dignified manner.

It would also be pertinent to question what sort of contribution the five officials who accompany the team are making. There is a manager, coach, physio, cricket advisor, and a computer analyst on tour. The failure to make proper use of the R. Premadasa Stadium fast wickets put up at exhorbitant cost to the Cricket Board, ahead of the tours to South Africa and Australia have also contributed towards their dismal displays.

Chinks in the team's armour started to appear during the tour to England in April where they lost the Test series 2-0 (1 drawn) and also lost five of the six qualifying NatWest trophy one-day triangular matches to England and India.

There was a brief respite when Sri Lanka thrashed cricket's minnows Bangladesh in the Tests and one-day series and followed it up by winning the Morocco Cup in Tangiers against South Africa and Pakistan and, finished joint champs with India in the ICC Champions trophy held in Colombo. All this was achieved in conditions similar to those experienced in the subcontinent.

The tour to South Africa opened up new wounds and exposed the team's shortcomings especially on pitches with bounce and movement. Australia with its massive grounds further exposed the team's fielding lapses where even the simplest of catches was grassed. The standard of fielding which was at one time on par with the best has today dropped to a dismal low. To succeed in over-limit cricket fielding is a priority. There is certainly a lack of discipline in the Sri Lankan ranks.

The performances of the team in Australia is woeful that it is hard to imagine that this is the same team that had won nine Tests on the trot in the not too distant past and was once ranked second in the one-day international cricket to Australia. The last eight one-day internationals has produced one win and seven losses and Sri Lanka have currently dropped down to fourth position.

It is true that Jayasuriya is greatly handicapped without his bowling kingpin Muttiah Muralitharan who is recuperating following a hernia operation. But it is not so much the bowling that has been responsible for the defeats, but the batting, where to some point, Jayasuriya maybe feeling the absence of the experienced Aravinda de Silva. De Silva opted out of the first leg of the VB competition on personal grounds.

With both players expected to return for the second leg of the VB triangular against England and Australia when it resumes on January 9, Sri Lanka are expected to put up a better show than they have by getting their act together and start performing once again as a team.

Failure to do so in the remaining games in Australia will have disastrous effects on their World Cup chances. The World Cup in some ways will be the ultimatum for several members of the team which includes both players and officials.

A bad show here will sound the death knell for many. The axe is poised over the heads of several players who at the moment think their places are assured. Perform and remain, fail and perish is the motto. Don't be surprised if several heads roll and Sri Lanka fields a new look team for the Sharjah tournament in April. That is a distinct possibility, if they fail to improve in the World Cup.

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