Kandy, Feb 16 (IANS) A visibly disappointed Mitchell Marsh admitted his side was devastated and left relying on other results after Australia slumped to an eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in a crucial clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Monday.

Marsh felt that 182 was a competitive target at the halfway mark but conceded that Australia had fallen short despite a blazing start. “I thought it was a competitive total at the halfway mark. We probably left ourselves a few short after the start we had. It is disappointing. Well played to Sri Lanka. They outplayed us tonight,” he said.

Australia were cruising at 110/2 before losing momentum dramatically in the latter stages. “We know that at our best, we can make big scores. We just lost our way towards the back-end. Couldn’t get the partnership going. Sri Lanka bowled really well towards the back-end. We knew we were a few short in the end, as I said earlier. Not much else to say except that Sri Lanka outplayed us,” Marsh added.

With qualification no longer in their control, the skipper spoke about the mood in the dressing room. “It is a devastated group. We’re in the lap of the gods now, I think, with the way it has shaped up. A lot of emotions in the room right now. We haven’t been at our best. We will now sit and watch the ZIM vs IRE game. Disappointed bunch at the moment.”

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, meanwhile, hailed it as one of his side’s best performances in recent times. “You can say that it’s one of the best performances from us in the recent past. I am really happy with the way the innings went,” he said.

Shanaka credited the team’s positive intent despite setbacks. “We were very positive still after losing Pathirana in the Powerplay. So, we had that confidence. Of course, we knew how the wicket would play. Each and every one had their body language very high today. It’s a very big plus point for us. Everybody wanted to contribute somehow to the team. Chameera, Theekshana, and Hemantha all did a brilliant job. Really happy with the way everyone contributed.”

On missing key players, he said, “Yeah, we are really missing Hasaranga and now, of course, Pathirana. It’s a big miss for us, but at the same time, luckily, we have got a cover for Hasaranga. So, if he (Hasaranga) was there today, things would have been different. You know that he delivers for the team whenever he gets the ball in his hands. We can’t control that, unfortunately, but we will take the good things from here.”

Explaining the decision to bowl first, Shanaka added, “I know there was a lot of chat when we opted to bowl first. We knew that on one side, the boundary is a bit short. We knew that we had a chance if we could restrict them under 170-180.”

Delighted with his team advancing to the Super Eights, he concluded, “It is wonderful to see. After many years, we have finally made it to the next round. We have a really good team, and it feels good to make it to the next round. Hopefully, we make it to the Semis. Of course, we must thank the crowd, who were simply outstanding.”

–IANS

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