Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga has accepted full responsibility for the team’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024. The team managed to secure only one win out of their four group-stage matches, leading to their elimination from the tournament. Sri Lanka’s disappointing campaign included defeats against South Africa and Bangladesh, where their batting lineup failed to deliver. They concluded their World Cup journey with a victory over the Netherlands on Monday, June 17.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Wanindu Hasaranga reflected on the team’s struggles throughout the tournament. He highlighted the challenges posed by constant travel and adapting to different pitch conditions at various venues.
“Unfortunately, we had our first match in New York, and it was not successful. Then we went to Dallas for the next match and couldn’t adjust to the pitch there as well. I think as a team and as a captain, I take full responsibility,” Wanindu Hasaranga stated.
Despite acknowledging the difficulties, Wanindu Hasaranga was adamant about not blaming the pitches in the USA and West Indies for their performance. He emphasized the importance of adapting to conditions and improving their cricketing standards to qualify for the Super 8 stages of the tournament.
“Yes, we can blame pitches and make up stories when we lose a match. As professional cricketers, we can’t do that. All other countries are also playing on the same pitches, so we have to adjust ourselves to that. We should have improved our cricket and not blamed others. We could have adjusted ourselves to the same pitches as other teams are also playing on. I think we didn’t do that. That’s the main mistake here,” Hasaranga added.
Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup Campaign: A Recap
Sri Lanka’s lone victory in their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign came against the Netherlands. Their match against Nepal was washed out, while they suffered losses to Bangladesh and South Africa. This inconsistent performance led to their early exit from the tournament, prompting reflections and commitments to improve from the team and its captain.
The disappointing campaign has prompted a period of introspection for Sri Lanka as they look to rebuild and come back stronger in future tournaments.
