Colombo erupted in disappointment as Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the 2026 T20 World Cup, crashed out of the tournament following a crushing 61-run defeat to New Zealand in their second Super 8 match on Wednesday. This loss, compounded by an earlier 51-run thrashing at the hands of England, sealed their fate and marked them as the first team eliminated from the Super 8 stage.
Former captain Kumar Sangakkara, a key figure in Sri Lanka’s golden era, voiced his deep frustration publicly. Speaking on X, he painted a grim picture of the team’s struggles since their 2014 T20 World Cup triumph. ‘There’s sadness everywhere. Fans are hurt, disappointed, and angry. Players are devastated too. I’ve been in that dressing room. It’s not easy, but representing your country comes with that burden—and it’s a massive privilege,’ Sangakkara wrote.
He didn’t mince words about the road ahead. ‘We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results, especially when cricket is evolving so rapidly around us. We haven’t adapted, and the danger is we’ll become irrelevant.’ This stark warning underscores five straight tournaments without a semi-final appearance, a sharp decline from the period between 2009 and 2014 when Sri Lanka reached at least semis in four consecutive editions, finals in 2009 and 2012, and lifted the trophy in 2014 by beating India.
Sangakkara’s comments resonate amid growing calls for overhaul across all levels of Sri Lankan cricket. As the island nation prepares to co-host the next World Cup, the pressure mounts to reinvent themselves or risk fading into obscurity in the global game. Fans and experts alike wonder if this wakeup call will spark the necessary changes.