Kandy, Feb 16 (NationPress) A visibly disheartened Mitchell Marsh acknowledged that his team was devastated and now must rely on other outcomes after Australia suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in a pivotal match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Monday.

Marsh believed that a target of 182 was competitive at the halfway stage but admitted that Australia fell short despite a strong beginning. “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 stated.

Australia was in a strong position at 110/2 before losing their momentum dramatically in the final overs. “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 were aware that we were a few short, as I mentioned earlier. Not much else to say except that Sri Lanka outplayed us,” Marsh reflected.

With their qualification no longer under their control, the captain shared the atmosphere 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. A disappointed bunch at the moment.”

On the other hand, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka celebrated it as one of his team's finest performances lately. “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 unfolded,” he expressed.

Shanaka praised the team’s positive mindset throughout their challenges. “We remained very positive even after losing Pathirana in the Powerplay. So, we had that confidence. Of course, we understood how the pitch would behave. Everyone had their body language very high today. It's a significant advantage for us. Everyone wanted to contribute in some way. Chameera, Theekshana, and Hemantha all performed exceptionally well. I'm really pleased with everyone’s contributions.”

Regarding missing key players, he commented, “Yeah, we are really feeling the absence of Hasaranga and now, of course, Pathirana. It's a big miss for us, but fortunately, we have a backup for Hasaranga. If he had been here today, things would have been different. We know he delivers for the team whenever he gets the ball in his hands. We can't control that, but we will take the positives from this match.”

On opting to bowl first, Shanaka elaborated, “I know there was a lot of discussion when we chose to bowl first. We knew that on one side, the boundary is a bit short. We believed we had a chance if we could restrict them under 170-180.”

Excited about his team's advancement to the Super Eights, he concluded, “It's fantastic to see. After many years, we have finally made it to the next round. We have a really good team, and it's gratifying to reach the next stage. Hopefully, we progress to the Semis. We must certainly thank the crowd, who were absolutely outstanding.”