NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka captain
Wanindu Hasaranga
emphasized that the team cannot blame factors like the pitches in the USA for their early exit from the
T20 World Cup
2024.
Sri Lanka's campaign ended with a decisive 83-run win over the Netherlands at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.
"When you lose a match you can blame pitches and other things, but as professional cricketers, that is not a good thing.
Even the other team has to play on the same pitch, and it is our job to change the way we play. We are representing a country and have to take that responsibility," Hasaranga said during the post-match press conference.
The skipper acknowledged that the team failed to make necessary adjustments, calling it the "main flaw" of their campaign.
He expressed gratitude towards the Sri Lankan Cricket (
SLC
) board for organizing a preparatory camp and ensuring the team reached the venues 10 days in advance.
"That was a big thing. It was important to get used to conditions, weather, and the time zone here. But then when we moved from one region in the USA to another, the pitches were not the same. Even though in some countries pitches are more similar from place to place, that is not the case in the USA."
"We adjusted as well as we could, but we unfortunately got New York for the first match, and it did not go well for us. In the second match, we went to Dallas and did not adjust well to that pitch. As a team and as a captain we have to take the responsibility for that," he concluded.
Sri Lanka, once dominant in ICC tournaments, struggled again this year.
Since winning the T20 World Cup in 2014, they have not reached the knockout stages in ICC events, except for the 2015 50-over World Cup where they made it to the quarterfinals.
In the match against the Netherlands, Sri Lanka was put to bat as the Netherlands won the toss and chose to bowl.
Contributions from Kusal Mendis (46 in 29 balls), Charith Asalanka (46 in 21 balls), Dhananjaya de Silva (34 in 26 balls), and Angelo Matthews (30* in 15 balls) helped Sri Lanka set a target of 201/6 in their 20 overs.
Logan van Beek was the standout bowler for the Netherlands with figures of 2/45.
During their run chase of 202 runs, the Netherlands had a solid start with an opening partnership of 45 runs between Michael Levitt (31 in 23 balls) and Max O'Dowd (11 in 8 balls), but they soon began losing wickets regularly. Skipper
Scott Edwards
(31 in 24 balls) tried to mount a fight but lacked the necessary support, leading to the team's collapse at 118 in 16.4 overs.
Nuwan Thushara
emerged as the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka with figures of 3/24. Matheesha Pathirana (2/12) and Hasaranga (2/25) also delivered impressive spells.
Charith Asalanka was named the 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance.
Sri Lanka ended up third in Group D with one win, two losses, and a no result, tallying three points in total. The Netherlands, with one win and three losses, finished last in Group D with two points. Both teams were eliminated from the tournament, while South Africa (eight points) and Bangladesh (six points) advanced to the Super Eights from this group.
English (US) ·