Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara urged the side to rethink their approach after another early T20 World Cup exit. The former captain said urgent reforms are needed if the team is to remain competitive in modern cricket.
Sri Lanka’s hopes ended after a 61-run loss to New Zealand in Colombo, a result that followed their earlier Super 8 defeat to England. Posting on X after the exit, Sangakkara said the team must evolve quickly or risk falling behind.
NZ vs SL T20 WORLD CUP 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
“There is a lot of hurt all round. The fans devastated , disappointed , angry. The players are hurting badly too. I have been in similar dressing rooms. It’s not easy. But this responsibility comes with the turf. It’s a burden and a great privilege to represent your country and your people,” Sangakkara wrote.
“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. We haven’t adapted and the danger is irrelevance,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s elimination also continued a worrying trend. Since winning the title in 2014, they have now failed to reach the semi-finals in five consecutive T20 World Cups.
Against New Zealand, their bowlers had done enough to restrict the opposition to 168 for 7. But another batting collapse saw them fall to 107 for 8, with spin once again proving too difficult to handle.
HOW SRI LANKA’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 ENDED
Sri Lanka entered the Super 8 stage needing strong performances to stay alive.
However, losses to England and New Zealand sealed their fate early. The defeat to New Zealand confirmed their exit, making them the first Super 8 team to be knocked out of semi-final contention.
Their final match against Pakistan will now have no impact on their own campaign, though it could influence the qualification hopes of others.
WHAT IS GOING WRONG WITH SRI LANKA?
The issues run deeper than one tournament.
Sri Lanka’s batting struggles have persisted throughout the year, including a heavy bilateral series loss to England before the World Cup.
Misreading conditions in Colombo and failing to adapt to spin-friendly surfaces exposed long-standing tactical gaps. Sangakkara’s message was clear that without meaningful change, Sri Lanka risk falling behind as the global game continues to evolve.
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