SL had a few star players who kept us competitive. Domestic system wasn't really that good as a whole. They have had an outdated domestic structure for at least 20 years, but it wasn't exposed until recently thanks to Murali, Sana, Vaas and the few star players who played subsequently. Spotlight wasn't on the next level of players thanks to them.
This is P Sara Division 1 in 1996/97. Count the number of teams
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/SL_LOCAL/SARA_DIV1/
ODI cricket in particular was different those days. Players we had could handle that version. Obviously the game has evolved. This has been discussed a few times. Nothing new to add.
This is P Sara Division 1 in 1996/97. Count the number of teams
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1996-97/SL_LOCAL/SARA_DIV1/
ODI cricket in particular was different those days. Players we had could handle that version. Obviously the game has evolved. This has been discussed a few times. Nothing new to add.