T20 World Cup 2024: What went wrong with Sri Lanka in their T20 WC campaign - Cricket Winner

Sri Lanka was among the deadliest opponents for many champion cricket teams. Be it through their batting or bowling, the team has produced some robust and immaculate veterans of the game. These signifie the synonym of the team. However, with years passing by and other new cricket countries growing and making a mark on the big stage, Sri Lanka has had the opposite of a scenario. This has caused the team to have the worst downfall in the cricketing stint.

And the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup acts as the evidence of it. The 2014 T20 World Cup champions have not scalped a position in the Super 8 out of the 20 teams. They have miserably failed in some aspects of the gameplan. This article digs deep into what went wrong with the Lanka Lions campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

1. The captaincy uncertainty

Sri Lanka has had an unfavourable thing when it comes to setting up a captain for the squad. With the recent change of the team’s T20I captain, the reliable leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took the team as their captain in its upcoming matches and stint.

Many critics and fanatics discuss giving the significant position back to the former captain Dasun Shanaka. He backs the 3-4 years of experience for such big tournaments. However, with the intention of future planning, it is evident that we should make such a big move before the game starts. This could have a secondary hand regarding the player’s adaptability for their forgettable T20 WC round.

2. A horrendous batting display led to several woes.

One of the things that went wrong for Sri Lanka was the utter collapse of the batting lineup. At the start, South Africa took advantage of Sri Lanka’s irresponsible batting, with Lankan batters slogging the ball when they needed to form partnerships. A disappointing and average batting performance against Bangladesh followed it.

Though they performed to their best potential in their penultimate group-stage encounter against the Netherlands, it is clear that they must adhere to the idea that only vital matches win the tournament. With a poor performance against the powerhouses, it was clear that the squad would not advance to the final eight of the 20 teams.

3. Lack of intent and disappointing display of the game by the experienced players

The Sri Lankan team had made its arsenal with an optimum mix of experienced and emerging players combination. Before the tournament started, many expected Sri Lanka to have a memorable tournament stint, especially after their recent failed campaigns.

But, it turned out to be another way. Many of their players, like captain Wanindu Hasaranga, Mahesh Theekshana, Kusal Mendis, etc., didn’t give memorable performances in the crucial stages of the game. This led to creating a non-aggressive and intent approach to its youngsters. As they acted as the pillars of the squad, this could be one of the major factors behind their downfall campaign in the tournament.