In a stunning collapse at home, Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup 2026 dreams shattered with a 61-run thrashing by New Zealand in Super-8 action. Captain Dasun Shanaka’s post-match candor hit hard: disappointing the loyal Colombo fans felt ‘truly shameful,’ especially after their constant support.
New Zealand’s innings at R Premadasa Stadium was anchored by Mitchell Santner’s gritty 47 and an unbeaten 31 from Colin de Grandhomme, forging an 84-run alliance that propelled them to 168/7. Sri Lanka’s chase faltered disastrously, bowled out for 107/8.
Shanaka reflected, ‘Our bowlers aimed for 130, but their key pair outplayed us. Hats off to them.’ He called for collective responsibility from batsmen: ‘Top order must contribute. T20 demands aggression – positive shots bring satisfaction, even in failure. We played it safe and paid the price.’ Kusal Mendis’s labored 11 off 22 epitomized the struggles.
Praising rivals’ execution, Shanaka said, ‘New Zealand nailed lines and lengths relentlessly; we were sporadic.’ With title hopes dashed, eyes turn to the February 28 Pakistan showdown. ‘We’ll wrap up our World Cup journey with pride and peak performance,’ the skipper affirmed.
This defeat exposes Sri Lanka’s over-reliance on individuals and bowling inconsistencies, lessons for future battles as they bow out amid fan sorrow.