Sri Lanka bowed out of the tournament after losing to England and New Zealand in the Super 8s.
Sri Lanka's hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals ended with a crushing 61-run defeat to New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Wednesday (February 25).
The tournament co-hosts lost the plot by conceding 70 runs in last four overs as the Kiwis posted a competitive 168/7 on the board.
Sri Lanka never looked to chase down the total and were restricted to 107/8 in 20 overs, thereby making an exit from the competition.
After the game, captain Dasun Shanaka called out the negativity in Sri Lankan cricket, stating it could damage the mental health of the players. With the criticism expected to mount in the coming days, Shanaka urged the government to step in and protect the game and future generation of players.
“A 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,” Shanaka said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“Why 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,” he added.
Reflecting on the reasons for the team's dismal show after the group stage, the skipper said the wickets here didn't behave the way he expected.
"I said before the start of the tournament that I expected the wickets to be good for batting," Shanaka stated. "Sri Lanka's best batters are here. We've picked players who have good domestic strike rates and ability. No one is here by force.
"Sometimes we don't get conditions we want, and we lose matches in unexpected ways. We're very sad about what has happened."
Shanaka also conceded that the fitness of Sri Lankan players was not up to the mark and the list of injuries also kept increasing as the tournament progressed.
The 2014 champions lost two of their biggest weapons in Wanindu Hasaranga and Matthesha Pathirana to injury during the event.
"You've also got to make fitness a non-negotiable," Shanaka said. "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."
In the end, Dasun Shanaka also apologised to the Sri Lankan fans. "The team is always trying to perform, especially in a World Cup, and I don't think anyone here will be able to play in a World Cup in Sri Lanka again," he said. "Everyone had the desire to get into a semi-final. We all had that desire. But we didn't do justice to the expectations. We couldn't give fans what we wanted. For that we're sorry."