Sri Lanka opened their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign with a heavy loss to South Africa. The Wanindu Hasaranga-led side fell to a paltry score of 77 at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, setting a record-low score as they opened their games with a major upset. However, the Lankan Lions, who are visitors to the US for the ICC tournament, are dealing with significant challenges due to the prolonged travel time taking a toll on their in-game readiness.   

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Sri Lanka players cite lengthy travel times as an issue, alleging ICC is biased towards major teams

Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana has criticised the scheduling of their team's matches in the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup, claiming that the roster is unjust and that the lengthy travel time has already compelled them to call off one practice.

"So unfair for us, we have to leave every day [after the match] because we are playing (at) four different venues. The flight we took from Florida, from Miami, we had to wait like eight hours in the airport to get the flight. We were supposed to leave at 08:00 PM but we got the flight at 5:00 AM. It's really unfair for us, but it doesn't matter when you play. Even from the hotel, it (the practice venue) is one hour and 40 minutes. Even today (for the match against South Africa), we had to wake up around 5:00 AM to come here," Maheesh Theekshana said.

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The Sri Lankan spinner also pointed out that there are teams who have got the opportunity to stay in the same place but their hotel is just minutes away from the ground. 

"I can't say the (names of the) teams that are playing in the same venue, so they know what the conditions are like. They're playing practice games at the same venue. No one will get that," the SL spinner said.

While Theekshana did not point out the team, he could be pointing towards India, as most of their games are taking place at the Nassau County Stadium, with just one game in Florida. Unlike Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue to not have much travel time as most of their matches are in New York, which is an added edge to the team.