"Call me a traitor, a quisling - anything. I don't want Sri Lanka to be the champions of cricket World Cup 2011," Sri Lanka sports commentator Russell Palipane wrote in The Island daily before the showpiece in February earlier this year.

There was outrage in his home country, but Palipane felt that if Sri Lanka won the tournament the board would take all the credit, overshadowing the team's problems on and off the field.

Palipane, of course, got his wish but he was made to sweat as Sri Lanka made it to the final only to fall at the final hurdle against co-hosts India in Mumbai. Since then everything has gone downhill for the Island nation and there appears to be no end to their slide.

Players not getting paid, allegations of match-fixing, political in-fighting, a cash-strapped board, poor form across all platforms of the game, injury woes, resignations, employees getting fired left, right and centre, leadership problems, tension inside the camp - you name it, Sri Lanka cricket has experienced it over the past few months.

It is 16 months since they last tasted victory in a Test - against India in Galle - and you have to go back to January 2009 for the last five-day win away from home, which was against Bangladesh. Even in ODI cricket, which has been their forte for so long, they have struggled to put together a decent run of form.

As Tillakaratne Dilshan's men prepare for another tour away from the sub-continent, it is hard not be underwhelmed as they head to South Africa's shores.

Their batsmen always struggle on bouncier wickets. They even found it difficult on the placid wickets in the United Arab Emirates, where only Kumar Sangakkara managed to consistently dig in and save them from more embarrassing scores.

Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene's form is very patchy, while Angelo Mathews can only do so much. Their quicks seem to break down quite often and they can't settle on the right bowling combinations.

After the highs of the two-Test South Africa-Australia series, Sri Lanka's sojourn is likely to be a big comedown for cricket fans. South Africans, of course, won't complain as long as their side win. But can anyone anticipate 'edge of your seat-type cricket' over the next couple of months?

Sorry to sound pessimistic, but the results of Sri Lanka's visits to South Africa make for dismal reading: played seven, lost six, drawn one (when an entire day was washed out).

Even if they didn't win series away from home in previous years, there was always the Muttiah Muralitharan or Sanath Jayasuriya factor - something to look forward to or a talking point. These days there's not much that piques the interest.

Sri Lanka's board, fans and players may not want to hear it, but they have now slipped to the second-tier in Test cricket. India, Australia, South Africa and England are clearly ahead but Sri Lanka are now keeping the West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh company in the bottom half of the standings.

The longer Sri Lanka take with their clear-out from top to bottom, the further they will slide away from the 'Top Four'. Don't hold your breath as it is unlikely to happen over the next few years.