Dasun Shanaka Urges Government to Tackle ‘Negativity’ After Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup Exit

Dasun Shanaka blamed external negativity, tough pitches and injuries for Sri Lanka’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026.

Sri Lanka crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after suffering a 61-run defeat to New Zealand in front of a packed Khettarama crowd on Wednesday. The loss made Sri Lanka the first team to be eliminated from semi-final contention in the tournament.

After the match, captain Dasun Shanaka said external negativity, bowler-friendly pitches and fitness issues were the main reasons behind the team’s poor campaign.

Sri Lanka had already faced heavy criticism before the tournament due to disappointing results in limited-overs cricket since mid-last year. Consecutive defeats to Zimbabwe, England and New Zealand ended their World Cup hopes.

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“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 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 Urges Government To Step In

With criticism expected to grow further, Shanaka said the situation had become serious enough for the government to step in and protect future players.

“Why spread this negativity? Yes, we lost a World Cup, and we know the reasons. Everyone has concerns,” Shanaka said. “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.”

Shanaka admitted that the team management misread the Khettarama pitch, which offered more spin than expected from early on. Sri Lanka lost six wickets to New Zealand’s spinners and finished at 107 for 8 while chasing 169.

He also repeated his earlier concerns about the nature of the pitches in the tournament. “I said before the start of the tournament that I expected the wickets to be good for batting,” he said. “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.”