Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Sri Lanka take on England in a three-match Test series with much soul searching to do.
A few months ago, the Lankans were serious challengers in both Tests and one-dayers. But something seems to have gone wrong with their cricket since the World Cup final defeat at the hands of Australia.
The Twenty20 World Cup was a disaster. Worse was still to come with the defeat at the hands of England on home territory.
The Lankans have known to be invincible on their home territory. Some of the best teams in the world have suffered major losses there.
An emerging England unit inflicted great pain and sorrow on the Lankan cricketers and fans. The Lankans now win a chance to redeem themselves and get their pride back against England.
But they won't feel confident at all. The recently concluded Australian tour was catastrophic. The Australians simply humiliated the Lankans with a 2-0 win in the two Test series.
Though the team put up some fight in the second Test while chasing an impossible 507 runs to win, the end result was expected.
The Marvan Atapattu affair also distracted. The former Lanka captain finally called it a day after being one of the few batsmen who came away with flying colours.
It seems that Atapattu did have a point about selection. The glaring omission of Chaminda Vaas for the second Test was downright callous.
The usual cover-up about injury etc will not wash. Vaas may have lost a lot of pace, but he still is capable at the top level.
His steady bowling and useful batting lower down would have proved vital. As a senior member of the side, Vaas lends a steadying influence.
The truth is Lanka have been caught in the trap of experimenting with their team. The so-called 'giving a chance to others' has not really helped.
After any experimentation, the same old players return to the side. That is why Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, keep coming back to the team.
The Lankans must make up their minds on which path to take. If they want to go with younger players, then they should stick by it.
However, the whole selection system is full of problems. It seems that the players do have much confidence in the selectors.
The retirement of Jayasuriya and his subsequent recall was a joke. No wonder, the sports minister has to ratify the team selection.
Atapattu was recalled for the Australian tour at the insistence of the minister. Such things should not happen in cricket.
Hopefully, the Australian tour would have opened the eyes of those who run cricket in the country. Except on the last two days of the tour, Lanka faltered badly.
The bowling let them down badly. Lankan trump card Muttiah Muralidharan was reduced to levels of the ordinary. Promising pacemen Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando sprayed the ball all over the park.
The two star batsmen - Mahela Jayawardene and Kumara Sangakkara - redeemed themselves in the last Test. Both played superbly with Sangakkara playing one of the best knocks ever by a Lankan.
The road ahead will not be easy. England will prove a tough opposition and will buoyed by their rare one-day series win in the country.
The team must seek inspiration from the batting of Sangakkara. The way he mounted pressure on the Australians was a sheer delight to watch. Even a massive target looked within Lanka's grasp at times.
Jayawardene and coach Trevor Bayliss must get tough and not be a prey to the whims and fancies of the selection panel.
There is enough talent in the country to even field a second eleven. But the first team must be got right.
Batsmen like Upul Tharanga and Tilakaratne Dilshan must not be left by the wayside.
And don't forget Vaas. Home conditions are tailormade for his type of bowling. And Muralitharan will be a major force at home.
Lanka must think that a year ago, they were among the best. So why not now.
