Follow UsVeteran Sri Lanka cricketer Angelo Mathews has blamed his side's batters for poor displays in the T20 World Cup 2024. They managed just 77 in the first game against South Africa on a tricky New York surface, but in their next game against Bangladesh in Dallas, they collapsed from 100/3 to 124/9 in the last six overs, to succumb to their second defeat of the tournament.
Following a washed-out game against Nepal in Florida, Sri Lanka was officially out of contention for a place in the Super Eights. On June 16 (Sunday) in St Lucia, the 2014 champions take on the Netherlands in a bid to salvage some pride.
"I think those two matches [vs South Africa & Bangladesh] were not successful as the batsmen were not successful, the fielders and bowlers did a great job even for that few scores. They did well in both matches, and both were very competitive. But unfortunately, we couldn’t win," Mathews said in a pre-match press conference.
"It’s really hard to come forward in a tournament like this if we lose even one match. It was really hard for us after losing the first two matches. The Nepal match was also unfortunately abandoned by the rain. So, we have left only one match now. We hope to play that well and win."
Speaking of his side's fast bowlers, especially Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara, Mathews believes that they have successfully used whatever they learned in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the T20 World Cup.
"I think all the bowlers did very well in the last two matches. We saw Matheesha play well in the IPL as well. Nuwan Thushara also did well in both this and IPL. They were managed to get wickets for a very little score. I think with the experience from IPL, they used what they learnt here a lot. So, moving forward, it’s a really good thing for Sri Lanka," Mathews said.
"I think all bowlers did a great job. Unfortunately, that was only the batsmen were failed a bit. I think we lost both matches due to the mistakes made by the batsmen."
Will we see the 37-year-old in action again after the World Cup? Mathews neither confirms nor denies but says he plays each game as his last. "I play every match thinking it’s my last match. Because everything in uncertain, even our life is. So, I try my best to do in every match for my team," Mathews said.
"I have no high hopes about playing the next match or the next tournament. So, there is some more time, so there will be some things to be concerned about, but until now, I have nothing planned from my side. So, as I mentioned, I play this game, as I love the sport. Even if it’s the National team or a club team, I play with that love and the bond."
Mathews has scored just 32 runs from his two innings in the tournament and is yet to pick up a wicket.
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