“Not good enough at international level”

Fans of the Sri Lankan cricket team must have been disappointed and frustrated with the manner in which the hosts lost the ongoing three-match T20I series against India. Former cricketer and now presenter Farveez Maharoof was one of them.

After India clinched the T20I series by winning the second T20I by seven wickets on Sunday, July 28, Maharoof took to social media to vent his frustration over the manner in which the Sri Lankan team failed after a strong start in the first two matches against the Men in Blue.

Sri Lanka’s disastrous collapse frustrates Farveez Maharoof as India win T20I series

Sri Lanka’s ongoing T20I series against the T20 World Cup champions has seen two disheartening collapses in as many days. The Islanders’ consecutive collapses in their first T20I match performance have left fans and cricket analysts questioning their ability to compete at the highest level.

The first T20I, held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, began with a glimmer of hope for Sri Lanka. But hope quickly turned to despair as the innings progressed. Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, which had shown resilience and skill, faltered dramatically.

Sri Lanka started brilliantly and were at one point 140/2, but the wicket of Kusal Perera led to a bizarre collapse. It was brutal, as the home side lost nine wickets for just 30 runs and eventually lost the opening match of the three-match T20I series by 43 runs to Team India.

Meanwhile, the second T20I, just a day later at the same venue in Kandy, offered the Sri Lankan team another chance at redemption against the Men in Blue. However, Sri Lanka’s woes continued as the team found themselves in even greater trouble, stumbling to a staggering 31/7 in just five overs, thanks to no support from the middle order and tailenders.

Like the first match, Sri Lanka started the second match on a positive note, but after that it was the same story as they lost seven wickets for just 31 runs in the last five overs, despite their score against India having once been 130/3.

Sri Lanka wasted good chances to beat world champions India: Farveez Maharoof

And so the Islanders lost their chance to win the T20I series against India at home. The inability to recover from these collapses highlighted a serious illness within the Sri Lankan team, raising concerns about their awareness and composure under pressure.

The team’s inability to stay steadfast and capitalize on key moments reflected the poor mental toughness of the players and it was simply disastrous, leaving a bitter taste of disappointment among the supporters and former cricketers. Farveez Maharoof criticized the hosts for not capitalizing on the strong starts against the Men in Blue.

Maharoof said it was a terrible feeling to see the Sri Lankan team fail after a strong start in the first and second T20I against India. The former Sri Lankan cricketer further said that the hosts wasted good chances to be in a strong position to beat the Indian team in the home T20I series.

Farveez Maharoof posted on X: “Crash twice in 2 days, just not good enough at international level. Wasting good chances to be in a strong position to beat the world champions. Horrible feeling #slvind. 1st T20i – 30-9 in 6 overs; 2nd T20i – 31-7 in 5 overs.”

Crash twice in 2 days, just not good enough at international level. Wastes good chances to be in a strong position to beat the world champions. Terrible feeling #slvind

1st T20i – 30-9 in 6 overs
2nd T20i – 31-7 in 5 overs

— Farveez Maharoof (@farveezmaharoof) July 28, 2024