Sri Lanka Cricket responds to 'Drinking Party' Allegations in T20 World Cup

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board has strongly responded to a serious allegation about their players during the T20 World Cup 2024.

Sri Lanka had a dismal outing in the tournament and got ousted from the group stages. They managed only a solitary victory in their group, which came against the Netherlands.

But a serious allegation about the players was published by a Sri Lankan outlet, which claimed the players had a drinking party ahead of their World Cup opener against South Africa. The report said the players were dipped in booze at team hotel ahead of the first match, which they lost by 6 wickets against the Proteas.

But the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has strongly opposed to the allegations and released a statement confirming no such incident took place.

"SLC categorically and strongly refutes the contents of the article and confirms that no such incidents, as described, have occurred. Therefore, SLC states unequivocally that the news report is entirely false, fabricated, and baseless," a statement from SLC read.

"We vehemently believe that such false reporting unfairly damages the reputation of Sri Lanka Cricket, its officials, and the players," it added.

The apex body of Sri Lanka Cricket has also requested that the respective newspaper publish a 'Right of Reply' to rectify the content which they published. The people in Sri Lanka were not amused by the performance and the allegations further escalated the uneasiness.

Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood resigned as the head coach after their dismal World Cup display. The SLC has appointed former player Sanath Jayasuriya as interim coach till September.