Angelo Mathews apologizes nationally following Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup elimination

Sri Lanka's experienced all-rounder Angelo Mathews issued a heartfelt apology to the nation following their early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, expressing deep disappointment over their performance in the tournament. 

Mathews, a stalwart of Sri Lankan cricket since 2008, acknowledged that the team's failure to advance to the Super 12 stage was a letdown for everyone involved.

“I think first of all we've let the entire nation down and we are really sorry because we've let ourselves down,” Mathews said ahead of the team’s final game against Netherlands. We never expected this. I mean, we came across a lot of challenges but those are not something to sort of worry about, but it's unfortunate that we didn't make the second round," Mathews said.

Reflecting on their campaign, Mathews highlighted the unexpected challenges they faced and admitted their inability to progress further was unfortunate. 

“This format is such where you can't take any team lightly. I mean they come up with, they've got nothing to lose and you can't you can't take any team lightly. I mean we've seen that especially over the last few years also especially in this tournament, we have seen teams beating bigger teams. As I always say you can't take any team lightly," he further added.

He underscored the competitiveness of T20 cricket, emphasizing the unpredictability and the need for teams to be vigilant against all opponents. Mathews pointed out Nepal's near-upset against South Africa as a reminder of this unpredictability, expressing regret that Sri Lanka's match against Nepal was washed out due to rain in Florida.

“It's very important. I think we can't take any given team lightly. We saw Nepal almost beat South Africa yesterday. It's unfortunate that our Nepal game was washed out. But it is what it is. We have just one more game in the tournament, and we'll play for pride,” he said.

Despite the setbacks, Mathews remained resolute ahead of their final match, acknowledging the Netherlands as a formidable opponent.

“But it's another day tomorrow, and then we have to come up against the Netherlands. And the Netherlands are a very, very dangerous team. So, we hope to play well and beat them," he concluded

Sri Lanka entered the T20 World Cup 2024 on the back of three consecutive T20I series victories, including a notable triumph over Bangladesh in their own backyard. However, they failed to replicate their form in the global event, falling short of expectations.