Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Former captain Kumar Sangakkara did not hide his anguish after Sri Lanka crashed out of the T20 World Cup, admitting there was “a lot of hurt all round” and warning that the nation risks falling behind if urgent changes are not made. Sri Lanka’s campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion with a heavy 61-run defeat to New Zealand in Colombo, leaving fans stunned and the cricket fraternity searching for answers.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Taking to social media after the elimination, Sangakkara captured the emotional devastation gripping the country and the dressing room.
“There is a lot of hurt all round. The fans are devastated, disappointed, and angry. The players are hurting badly too. I have been in similar dressing rooms. It’s not easy,” he wrote. He reminded players of the responsibility that comes with national duty, adding, “This responsibility comes with the turf. It’s a burden and a great privilege to represent your country and your people.”Sri Lanka’s exit was particularly painful as it came at home, where hopes were high of a deep run. After reducing New Zealand to 84/6, the hosts lost control as Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie revived the innings before their batting collapsed under pressure during the chase. The defeat sealed consecutive Super Eight losses and ended their semifinal hopes.However, Sangakkara stressed that the problems run deeper than one defeat. In a strongly worded warning, he said Sri Lanka must evolve with the changing demands of modern cricket. “There is a lot of work to be done at all levels to course correct. We can’t do the same things over and over and expect different results when the cricket world around us has evolved so quickly,” he wrote.His most striking line reflected his biggest fear for the future. “We haven’t adapted, and the danger is irrelevance.”
