Sri Lanka’s campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 came to a disappointing end after they were knocked out of semifinal contention following a 61-run defeat against New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday, February 25.

The co-hosts, captained by Dasun Shanaka, suffered successive defeats to Zimbabwe, England, and New Zealand, becoming the first team to be officially eliminated from the race to the final four.

Following the loss, skipper Shanaka pointed to external negativity, challenging pitch conditions, and key fitness concerns as major factors behind the team’s downfall.

Sri Lanka had entered the tournament under heavy scrutiny, having endured a prolonged lean patch in limited-overs cricket over the past year. Shanaka admitted that the constant criticism surrounding the side had begun to take a toll.

“A lot of times what we see and hear are negative things. No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside. That's a big loss for for Sri Lankan cricket. This is the only sport we have, and I don't know if we'll be able to protect it. If you look outside the stadium you'll see how many people are standing outside with mics, and people will say stuff without having watched the match,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

Shanaka further admitted that the team misjudged the pitch, opting to chase after winning the toss against the Kiwis. He revealed that he did not anticipate the pitch to assist spin so early in the game. Sri Lanka were undone by New Zealand’s spinners, losing six wickets to them as they stumbling to 107/8 in the chase.

Shanaka also spoke openly about his dissatisfaction with the surfaces used during the tournament.

“I said before the start of the tournament that I expected the wickets to be good for batting. Sri Lanka's best batters are here. We've picked players who have good domestic strike-rates and ability. No one is here by force,” he concluded.

The captain maintained that the squad was selected based on merit and proven domestic performances, but the conditions did not allow the batters to express themselves freely.