Dasun Shanaka Urging Government Action Over Rising Negativity Following Humiliating Loss to New Zealand Doesn’t Sit Well With Fans

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka has struggled this T20 World Cup, managing only 89 runs and a solitary wicket across six appearances so far.

Dasun Shanaka Urging Government Action Over Rising Negativity Following Humiliating Loss to New Zealand Doesn’t Sit Well With Fans

Dasun Shanaka urged the Sri Lankan government to take action against 'negative' criticism. (via India Today)

In Short
  • Dasun Shanaka calls for government action to address rising negativity towards the Sri Lankan cricket team.
  • Sri Lanka suffered a 61-run defeat to New Zealand, marking their second consecutive loss in the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage.
  • Fans criticize Shanaka's plea for intervention, arguing that players should handle criticism professionally.

Following Sri Lanka’s 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eight exit, captain Dasun Shanaka is at loggerheads with fans, criticizing the players. Shanaka urged the government to take required action against the growing public negativity to ensure the protection of players in the time ahead.

Sri Lanka’s 2026 T20 WC campaign came to a crushing end after they suffered a 61-run defeat to New Zealand. Despite playing in front of a packed home crowd at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, the Lions were no match for a Kiwi side. It marked Sri Lanka’s second consecutive loss in this stage of the tournament, after a shameful 51-run defeat to England in a low-scoring opener played in Pallekele.

Against the Blackcaps, Sri Lanka managed to reduce them to 84/6 in the 13th over after opting to bowl first. However, an impressive 84-run stand between Mitchell Santner (47 off 26) and Cole McConchie (31 off 23) helped NZ post a respectable 168 runs on the board.

Apart from Kamindu Mendis’ 31 runs and Dunith Wellalage’s 29 runs, no other Sri Lankan batter could hold ground, as they ultimately lost by a margin of 61 runs, finishing with just 107/8.

Speaking after the match, skipper Dasun Shanaka consciously agreed that fitness and form were key reasons behind Sri Lanka’s exit. Surprisingly, Shanaka also blamed the ‘negative environment’ and ‘outside noise’ for the team’s ouster, while oddly urging the government to stop the criticism. He expressed his disappointment with the mounting criticism, noting that it has been impossible to ignore. 

A lot of times what we see and hear are negative things. That’s a big loss for for Sri Lankan cricket… 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.

Shanaka asserted that the escalating negativity would result in the players losing confidence and added that it could jeopardize the future of the game in Sri Lanka. The all-rounder appealed to the cricket board and the administration to regulate the ‘negativity’ being circulated, reasoning that it would benefit the future generations in the country, while also apologizing to fans for having failed to deliver. 

Why spread this negativity? Yes, we lost, and we know the reasons…For the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it [the negativity] that’s better for their mental health.

However, the 34-year-old’s plea was not well received by a section of fans, who went so far as to question whether the current lot of players deserved a place in the team. Sri Lanka did enjoy a decent group-stage campaign in which they ousted heavyweights Australia. 

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka slammed by fans for seeking intervention against fan backlash

Calling it ‘disadvantageous’ for Sri Lanka cricket, captain Dasun Shanaka sought government intervention against criticism following their disastrous 2026 T20 World Cup exit. While the Lions still have one match left to play in the Super Eight stages, it will not result in a change of fate. 

Sri Lanka Dasun Shanaka fans
Sri Lankan fans criticized Dasun Shanaka and the Sri Lankan team. (via NDTV Sports)

Sri Lanka’s untimely exit leads to a worrying pattern for the team in T20 World Cups, a tournament they last won in 2014. The Lions have failed to reach the semi-finals in five straight editions since then. While Shanaka admitted that his team misunderstood the surface but hoped for an end to the ‘negative’ criticism, fans have reacted otherwise, who feel that the captain should be equipped to handle it. 

Fans took to social media to share their reactions, with many exclaiming that the Sri Lankan skipper’s statement is ‘pathetic’ as a professional athlete. Some fans drew parallels with the way Australian and English fans criticize their teams, urging Shanaka to learn. One fan argued that spectators were fully justified in being skeptical of the team’s performance, especially after spending thousands on tickets.

Shanaka also clarified that injuries ended Sri Lanka’s prospect of making it past the Super Eight stages. The team lost pacer Matheesha Pathirana to a hamstring injury early on, followed by all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga being ruled out similarly. 

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