Arjuna Ranatunga has lost a tremendous amount of weight, to the point of being unrecognisable. However, he has not shed an inch of his straight-talking self. Sri Lanka’s 1996 ODI World Cup-winning captain was amazed at how a reserve day was granted for the second India v Pakistan game in the ongoing Asia Cup, but not for other games in this rain-ravaged tournament. Ranatunga, 59, was equally astounded over fellow former players across Asia choosing to zip their lips when it came to slamming perceived preferential treatment to the big-ticket fixture.

“The cricketers are not talking at all. Why was a reserve day only given for the India-Pakistan game? Only [former India fast bowler] Venkatesh Prasad spoke against this. I am not surprised though. I have been a controversial cricketer since birth, so I am not bothered about ICC [International Cricket Council] or SLC [Sri Lanka Cricket],” who he slammed for, “not thinking right and taking  progressive measures.” Ranatunga amassed 7,456 runs in 269 ODIs, averaging 35.84. In the 1996 World Cup, he scored 241 runs in six matches.