Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has urged the side to rethink its approach after yet another early exit from the T20 World Cup. The former captain said urgent reforms are necessary 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. Sangakkara said after climbing the X that the team must develop quickly or risk falling behind.
NZ vs SL T20 WORLD CUP 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD
“There are a lot of injuries all around. The fans are devastated, disappointed, angry. The players are also very hurt. I have been in similar dressing rooms. It is not easy. But this responsibility comes with the turf. It is a burden and a great privilege to represent my country and my people,” Sangakkara wrote.
“A lot of work needs to be done at all levels to set the course right. We can’t do the same things over and over again and expect different results when the cricketing world around us has evolved so rapidly. We haven’t adapted and the danger is irrelevant,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s elimination also continued a worrying trend. Since winning the title in 2014, they have failed to reach the semi-finals in five consecutive T20 World Cups.
Against New Zealand, their bowlers did enough to restrict the opposition to 168 for 7. But another batting collapse saw them slump to 107 for 8, with the spin once again proving too difficult.
HOW SRI LANKA 2026 T20 WORLD CUP ENDED
Sri Lanka entered the Super 8 stage needing strong performances to stay alive.
However, losses to England and New Zealand soon sealed their fate. Defeat to New Zealand confirmed their exit, making them the first Super 8 team to be knocked out of the semi-final clash.
Their final match against Pakistan will now have no impact on their own campaign, although it could affect the qualification hopes of others.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SRI LANKA?
The problems are deeper than one tournament.
Sri Lanka’s batting struggles continued throughout the year, including a heavy bilateral series loss to England before the World Cup.
Misreading the conditions in Colombo and failing to adapt to spin-friendly surfaces exposed long-term tactical gaps. Sangakkar’s message was clear that without meaningful change, Sri Lanka risk falling behind as the global game continues to evolve.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
February 26, 2026
