Sri Lankan cricket captain Wanindu Hasaranga has fired back at critics on social media, accusing them of trying to turn fans against the team after their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. Sri Lanka crashed out of the tournament in the group stage after defeats to South Africa and Bangladesh. Their final match against Nepal was rained out, leaving them with a consolation win against Netherlands. This sparked criticism online, but Hasaranga believes this is from a small, vocal minority.

In a press conference, Wanindu Hasaranga insisted that true fans will always support the team: “We know the real fans are always behind us, win or lose. They come out to support us wherever we play. We can’t pay attention to what a small group of people say on social media. They’re just trying to make other fans angry with us.”

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He added, “We are incredibly lucky to have such passionate Sri Lankan fans. Their support, especially when we’re losing, is crucial. We don’t go out there to lose, we play for our country. The fans know that and back us through thick and thin.”

This is the second World Cup in a row where Sri Lanka have underperformed, finishing ninth in the ODI World Cup last year. Hasaranga admitted that mistakes from that tournament were not addressed and vowed to learn from them.

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Wanindu Hasaranga said, “We always get together after a tournament to analyse our mistakes. As a team, we need to decide how to fix them. I am disappointed that we haven’t done that yet. At this level, you need to learn from your mistakes to win matches. We discussed them after the last World Cup and again this time, but clearly they haven’t been rectified. That’s why we’re out of the tournament so early.”

Hasaranga and his team will now return home before a tour of India in July. They will be hoping to bounce back from their World Cup disappointment.