New Zealand crushed Sri Lanka by 61 runs in their second Super Eights clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. With that, the Dasun Shanaka-led side is eliminated from the race to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. They produced stunning performances in the group stage, including a win over Australia, but failed to live up to the potential in the next round, losing back-to-back matches to England and the Kiwis.
After the exit, captain Dasun Shanka called out the negativity in Sri Lanka cricket. He noted that the players are aware of the reasons for their exit and hope to correct them, but with the negativity around, it might ruin their mental health. With the criticism expected to increase in the coming days, Shanaka requested the government to step in and protect the game and future generation of players.
โA lot of times what we see and hear are negative things. No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside. That’s a big loss for Sri Lankan cricket. This is the only sport we have, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to protect it. If you look outside the stadium, you’ll see how many people are standing outside with mics, and people will say stuff without having watched the match,โ Shanaka said.
โWhy spread this negativity? Yes, we lost a World Cup, and we know the reasons. Everyone has concerns. More than talking about that and correcting it, the negativity has come to the fore. We will play and leave, but if for the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it [the negativity] that’s better for their mental health,โ He added.
Fitness needs to be non-negotiable: Shanaka
Sri Lanka lost two of their biggest weapons in Wanindu Hasaranga and Matthesha Pathirana to injury during the World Cup. The all-rounder strained a hamstring, while Pathirana injured his calf in the match against Australia. Another pacer Eshan Malinga was ruled out even before the World Cup. Weighing on these factors, Shanaka stated that fitness has to be non-negotiable going forward.
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. Wanindu Hasaranga is such a key player for us. We also know how important Matheesha Pathirana is. Eshan Malinga was injured as well. Your fitness level influences your injuries. There are some players who can’t even get into the team because of fitness issues. That’s something we’ve talked about a lot over several World Cups now,โ Shanaka said.
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