Shanaka apologises for another disappointing WC

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka has apologised to his country for another disappointing World Cup outing after being knocked out of the T20 showpiece by New Zealand in the Super Eight stage. Co-hosts Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand by 61 runs and before that by 51 runs to England, thus making their last game against Pakistan inconsequential.

“We feel very sorry about this. The England match was also a match that we could have won. I’m not saying that, but if we were more sensible, we could have won that. This match was a one-sided game. For the spectators, I don’t have anything to say; we have not given them any win that can be happy about,” a heartbroken Shanaka said at the post-match press conference.

“So, we have one match pending, and I hope to at least finish the tournament well as the captain.” He said the wickets here didn’t behave the way he expected. “Before the start of the tournament, I also mentioned that I expected the wickets to be good. So, the best batsmen in Sri Lanka are here. The players who have a good strike rate and the ability have been picked from domestic cricket. No one is forced to play cricket here. We also want to do something for the country.

“So honestly, we are very sorry for what happened. No one goes out there to fail; everyone goes with the intention of playing well and winning for the team. “Unfortunately, we don’t always get the conditions we want; sometimes we lose games from the things that we don’t even think of, from the small changes. So, we are so sorry about that; as players, we feel very sad about it,” Shanaka said.

Shanaka also felt that the fitness of Sri Lankan players were not up to the standards that world cricket demands now, and injuries also played a part. “I don’t think the physical fitness is up to the maximum level. I think for this World Cup, by this match, we have about four to five injuries, our best players are out. So, we can clearly see that we have some issues about the physical fitness.

“I think when we consider the past few World Cups, Sri Lanka must be on the list with most injured players. I think that it will be better if the players are on the guidelines when selecting the players for the team. Sometimes, I think the other teams are way ahead of us when considering fitness level,” he said. “I think the fitness should be number one when playing for a country because that’s unnegotiable. If we look at the injuries, it’s very hard to get the outcome we are thinking of.

“Because everyone knows how good Wanindu Hasaranga and he is a key player, and also the importance of Matheesha Pathirana , and then Eshan Malinga. When we don’t have these players, I’m not saying that it’s an excuse.”

Shanaka is not certain about his captaincy tenure after another dismal outing but said Sri Lanka need to set long-term goals going into a mega-event. “And if we are going to a World Cup plan, we should go to long term goals, it’s hard for us to play a tournament like this with short term goals. As a captain, I have no idea how long I will be the captain, it’s decided by the selectors, by Sri Lanka Cricket.

“But I’m happy that I had this opportunity for this long time. I had many good decisions, and also, I have made mistakes as well. Actually, I’m happy that I could play a World Cup as a captain,” he said. He also conceded that Sri Lanka lacked enough power-hitters in the team, which is a must for the shortest format.

“Actually, when considering power hitting, yes there is a lack of power hitting when we look at the entire Sri Lanka. But we have to play according to the conditions in Sri Lanka. So, we have to check up to what level that power hitting is needed for those conditions, because when we consider Pallekale sometimes we get good wickets. Power hitting is very helpful there.

“Power hitting should be there, but with these conditions, it’s the responsibility of the team management, how to pick.” Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in their last match in Pallekele on Saturday and Shanaka expects to finish the campaign on a positive note.

“No matter the problems that we have, we have to go very positively as a team. Because when we came to the World Cup also, we were coming after losing three games, but we started the world cup well. So, I think it’s very important to finish a World Cup as a team. Because it gives a momentum for the next tournament.”