"Not good enough at international level" - Farveez Maharoof condemns Sri Lanka’s double collapse after T20I series loss to India

Sri Lanka Cricket Team fans must have been disappointed and frustrated by the way the hosts lost the ongoing three-match T20I series to India, and the former cricketer-turned-broadcaster Farveez Maharoof was among them.

After India clinched the T20I series by winning the second T20I by seven wickets on Sunday, July 28, Maharoof took to his social media handle to express his frustration at how the Sri Lankan team faltered after a strong start in the first two games against the Men in Blue.

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

Sri Lanka’s ongoing T20I series against the T20 World Cup champions saw two disheartening collapses in as many days. The Islanders’ back-to-back collapses in the first T20I match performance 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. However, hope quickly turned into despair as the innings unfolded. Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, which was showing resilience and skill, faltered dramatically.

Sri Lanka had a great start, and at a time, they were at 140/2, but Kusal Perera’s wicket led to their bizarre collapse, which was brutal, as the hosts lost their nine wickets for just 30 runs and eventually lost the opening game of the three-match T20I series by 43 runs against Team India.

Meanwhile, the second T20I, just a day later at the same venue in Kandy, presented another opportunity to the Sri Lanka team for redemption against the Men in Blue. Yet Sri Lanka’s woes continued, as the team found itself in even more dire straits, stumbling to a staggering 31/7 in just five overs, thanks to no support from the middle order and tailenders.

Like the first game, Sri Lanka started the second game on a positive note, but then the story was the same, losing seven wickets for just 31 runs in the last five overs despite their score once read 130/3 against India.

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

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

The team’s inability to stand firm and capitalize on key moments reflects the players’ poor mental fortitude, and it was just disastrous, leaving a bitter taste of disappointment among the supporters and former cricketers. Farveez Maharoof slammed the hosts for not capitalizing on the strong starts against the Men in Blue.

Taking to X, Maharoof said that it was an awful feeling to see how the Sri Lanka team faltered after a strong start in the first and second T20I against India. The former Sri Lankan cricketer further said that the hosts wasted good opportunities to be in a strong position to beat the Indian team in the home T20I series.

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

Collapses twice in 2 days just not good enough at international level. Wasting good opportunities to be in a strong position to beat the world champions. Awful feeling #slvind

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

— Farveez Maharoof (@farveezmaharoof) July 28, 2024