It is normal for a losing team’s captain to refrain from answering tough questions. It is equally easy for a winner to express his thoughts. But while Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews was honest in his assessment of the defending champion’s performances after being knocked out of the World T20, Eoin Morgan’s post-match press conference resembled an exclusive interaction with a fawning English media.

Sri Lanka’s 10-run defeat to England despite a heroic fightback from Mathews ended its hopes but the Sri Lankan skipper, disappointment writ large on his face, was honest enough to admit that his team did not deserve to advance in the competition.

Mathews, given charge after Lasith Malinga pulled out, fought a lonely battle before running out of partners and overs on Saturday. “I think we have got slightly better and better with every game, it’s just that the finishing touches weren’t there for us. We have got a fairly inexperienced team but it’s not an excuse. This is the World Cup and we all have to perform and unfortunately we haven’t and we don’t deserve to go into the semifinals,” Mathews said after the loss.

With the team down and out at 15 for four, a hobbling Mathews gave it his all but it wasn’t enough. “We had nothing to lose after being 15 for four, we were running out of overs as well and we had to keep going. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a batter with me for the last couple of overs. If I had I could have given up a single and allowed him the strike and we could have got over the line,” he admitted.

Morgan, on the other hand, was happy with the “character” shown by his team with both the bat and ball and credited his team for “showing what we are capable of playing. It was smart and aggressive cricket”.

Great confidence

“I think it gives us a great deal of confidence on the way ahead. It’s a good space to be in. We will take a lot of confidence from today and it gives us a couple of days to settle and reflect and take the absolute beauties from today into the semis,” Morgan said. He admitted that Mathews’s innings did give the team areas to work on.

“Bowling to a man who has only one agenda and is focused on one thing can be difficult regardless of who the bowler is. Between now and the semis, we need to figure out how to counter that, how to get batsmen like that out,” Morgan admitted on the challenge ahead.

(The Hindu)