Dasun Shanaka didn’t sugar-coat Sri Lanka’s premature departure from the World Cup. Beaten by New Zealand by 61 runs at a packed Khettarama on Wednesday, his side became the first team to lose any mathematical chance of reaching the semi-finals. After defeats to Zimbabwe and England, the result felt inevitable, yet the captain believes the real damage was done off the field.
“A lot of times what we see and hear are negative things,” Shanaka said. “No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside. That’s a big loss for 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.”
The remarks follow months of public criticism. Sri Lanka have struggled in limited-overs cricket since mid-last year, so the scrutiny was bound to grow once the World Cup began. Shanaka suggested the atmosphere has now drifted into something more corrosive, to the point that official intervention might be required.
“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.”
Those words sit uneasily beside a performance that could not mask its technical flaws. Sri Lanka misread the pitch – a surface that gripped from the third over. They picked only two specialist spinners, yet New Zealand’s slow bowlers accounted for six wickets as the hosts crawled to 107 for 8. On a ground known historically for its turn, Shanaka had anticipated something kinder to batters.
“I said before the start of the tournament that I expected the wickets to be good for batting. 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,” the captain observed. “Sometimes we don’t get conditions we want, and we lose matches in unexpected ways. We’re very sad about what has happened.”
The pitch debate has bubbled since the opening fixture. White-ball wickets in Sri Lanka tend to favour spinners, but the degree of assistance caught even home players by surprise. For viewers less familiar with Khettarama, excessive spin can force a game into a low-scoring grind, which in turn magnifies every mistake a batting unit makes. That is, more or less, what unfolded.
Injuries also chipped away at plans. Leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga strained a hamstring in the first match, seamer Matheesha Pathirana tweaked a calf against Australia, and Eshan Malinga had already been ruled out. Shanaka conceded it created an impossible juggling act. “You’ve also got to make fitness a non-negotiable,” he 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.”
Former all-rounder Farveez Maharoof, working as a TV analyst, didn’t hide his frustration. “It’s hurtful, it’s painful and it’s shameful,” he said post-match, adding later: “Some hard decisions not to be made after the World Cup.” His bluntness mirrors public sentiment, though the solutions are neither simple nor quick.
Sri Lanka’s administrators now face a familiar puzzle: keep faith in a core that has failed, or start over. The domestic circuit still produces flair – evidenced by strong strike-rates in the List A competition – but converting that promise into consistent international runs remains the sticking point. A more robust fitness programme, fresher tactical thinking, and perhaps less reactive commentary could all help.
For the moment, the squad must complete their remaining fixtures, games that drift from headline material into pride-management territory. Shanaka insists the dressing room is united, yet acknowledges a bruising fortnight. His appeal for empathy may resonate with current players, even if the wider public focuses on figures: three defeats, zero points, one elimination.
Another World Cup cycle will come around soon enough. Whether Sri Lanka arrive better prepared may depend as much on calm analysis as on raw talent. Less noise, more substance – that, in essence, is the message Shanaka tried to send while Khettarama emptied under the Colombo night sky.
