Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka has said relentless public criticism has taken a toll on his team’s mental health after their exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The 2014 champions were eliminated from the Super Eights stage following a heavy defeat to New Zealand national cricket team in Colombo, marking their second successive loss in the round.
‘Negativity outside’
Sri Lanka faced intense scrutiny even before the tournament, having lost five of six limited-overs matches to England in the lead-up.
After the defeat, Shanaka apologized to fans for what he described as an “embarrassing” performance but warned that the atmosphere surrounding the team had become toxic.
“No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside,” he said.
“We will play and leave, but for the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it, that’s better for their mental health.”
Chasing 169 against New Zealand, Sri Lanka slumped to 46-5 in the 11th over and never recovered.
“Honestly, we are very sorry for what happened. No one goes out there to fail,” Shanaka added.
Injury setbacks and fitness concerns
Sri Lanka were hampered by injuries to key bowlers:
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Matheesha Pathirana
- Ehsan Malinga
Shanaka admitted fitness remains a persistent issue.
“You’ve also got to make fitness a non-negotiable. When you have the number of injuries we’ve had, it’s hard to get a good outcome.”
He noted that some players miss selection due to fitness problems — an issue that has lingered across multiple World Cups.
Warning of ‘irrelevance’
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara offered a stark assessment, warning that Sri Lanka risk falling behind in an evolving cricket landscape.
“We can’t do the same things over and over and expect different results when the cricket world around us has evolved so quickly. We haven’t adapted and the danger is irrelevance.”
Sri Lanka’s early exit has intensified calls for structural reforms, improved player conditioning, and a reset in approach to restore the nation’s standing in world cricket.
