T20 World Cup 2024: Veteran Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews expressed on his team’s challenging  T20 World Cup 2024, which will end after Sunday’s last group-stage match against the Netherlands in St Lucia. The 2014 winners gave up to South Africa on difficult ground in New York before falling to continental rivals Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller in Dallas. Their other match against Nepal was rained out, essentially eliminating them from contention for the Super 8s with one match remaining.

Mathews stated the unexpected turn of the T20 World Cup event as follows: “I believe that first and foremost, we have let the entire nation down, and we are deeply sorry because we have let ourselves down. We didn’t anticipate this. I mean, we had a lot of hurdles, but those aren’t something to be concerned about, and it’s terrible that we didn’t go to the second round,” Mathews remarked on the eve of the Netherlands game.

“We only have one more game in the competition, and we’ll play for our honour. And we haven’t done ourselves credit, especially given how we performed the first two games. So, it’s unfortunate; we’re devastated and aching deeply within ourselves.

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Sri Lanka entered the tournament on a good run of form, having defeated Afghanistan at home and Bangladesh away in bilateral series. With several of its players having played in the IPL, they had anticipated a better performance than a first-round exit.

Why Did Sri Lanka Not Win the T20 World Cup?

“That is something we regret, as I believe we didn’t fully represent our abilities in this tournament with the way we played Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in Bangladesh. As you point out, you can’t underestimate any team going into a World Cup, but regrettably, the way we performed against those teams in the lead-up to the tournament and the way we performed when we returned here didn’t reflect well on us.” Certainly, the wicket totals were obviously different.

Mathews mentioned a few “challenges,” one of which was the constant issue of scheduling. Mathews stated he had never had to travel this much in any previous World Cup, echoing teammate Maheesh Theekshana’s earlier criticism of the schedule that saw Sri Lanka as one of just two teams—the other being the Netherlands—to play in four different places.

“As I’ve already stated several times, we are really frustrated. We have never travelled this much for a World Cup in my career, I believe. It’s about the facts, not an explanation. The Dutch team and Sri Lanka, I believe, were the only teams to play all four of the tournament’s matches in four different sites. This is the most travelled World Cup in history, which is not an excuse, as I have stated previously. However, as I already stated, neither as a nation nor as a squad were able to realise our hopes. I apologise sincerely for it.

At the beginning of the competition, Mathews, who turned 37, was unsure of his future in white-ball and stated that he would make a choice after learning the national selectors’ opinions on the team’s future. “I play every match with the mindset that it’s my last. Since everything is unpredictable, including life itself,” Mathews stated.

“So, I do my best to perform well in every match for my team. I don’t think I’ll be playing in the upcoming event or match. So, there is still some time, so there will be some concerns, but as of right now, I don’t have any plans. In the future, we only need the pickers’ opinions—not mine. As I previously stated, I play this game because I adore the sport. I play with the same passion and bond whether I’m playing for my club team or the national squad. As I have stated, I always believe that to be my final game.”