Explained: Why is everyone criticising Wanindu Hasaranga?
Sri Lanka face India in the T20I series finale to avoid an embarrassing whitewash at home in Pallekele on July 30. While they suffered convincing losses in the first two games, the contest was up for grabs at several points in both outings.
However, some of Sri Lanka's key stars let them down at the most inopportune times, especially their No.1 T20 player Wanindu Hasaranga. The 27-year-old is atop the rankings among T20I all-rounders and third among T20I bowlers.
Yet, he has let the side down at crucial moments in both T20Is, especially the second encounter on July 28. While having bad games in the unpredictable T20 format is acceptable, Hasaranga's manner of dismissals with the bat has been particularly disappointing.
It has led to criticisms from several fans and former players, with a pair of Pakistan cricketers of the past having a full-fledged go at him.
Former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal said on a YouTube video:
"You've been the captain and are a match-winner. But look how he's batted and bowled. His attitude doesn't look serious on the field. We have seen him give everything in LPL and IPL. You need to have the same commitment while playing for your nation as well."
Another former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali went even stronger at Hasarnga by sarcastically saying he should be the Player of the Match in India's series-clinching win in the second T20I.
"Number one all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. I think he has become bigger than cricket. Cricket is small, he is big. He got out on the first ball by playing a poor shot. With the ball, he was taken to the cleaners by Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal," said Ali on his YouTube video.
Even Sri Lanka's newly appointed T20I skipper Charirth Asalanka indirectly criticized Hasarnga after both losses by blaming the middle-order batting.
"Little disappointed with the way the middle-order batted, we could have done better," he said after the first T20I.
Asalanka went much harder without calling out names after the second game and said:
"I am really disappointed with the way we batted at the death and about our middle order and lower middle order including me. We must really improve in our batting. On this pitch, when the ball gets older, it gets really hard to bat. As professional cricketers, we have to do well. We were behind by 15-18 runs."
Even Social Media was flooded with criticisms of Hasaranga after the second T20I which cost Sri Lanka the series.
Here is an example of a fan on Twitter slamming Hasaranga during the second T20I:
"You just can't play at this level with Hasaranga at No.7. That's terrible team construction if you wish for your batting unit to keep hitting through."
On that note, let us deep dive into why Hasaranga is being criticized so much by experts and fans.
Why is Hasaranga being criticized heavily after the second T20I against India?
Flashback to the series opener against India and Sri Lanka were in the hunt at 140/1 in 14 overs chasing 214 for victory.
However, a terrible collapse saw them losing the next nine wickets for only 30 to go down by 43 runs. Hasaranga scored only 2 off 3 deliveries batting at No.7 after an impressive bowling spell of 1/28 in 4 overs. So, the first T20I defeat could not be held against him even with his batting failure.
Yet, the second game a day later was arguably one of the worst all-around performances by a cricketer and Hasaranga endured the suffering. Inspired by the women winning the Asia Cup final against India a few hours back, the Men's side started strong with the bat again.
They raced to 130/2 in 15 overs and appeared to be on their way to a score near 200. However, the customary middle-order collapse reduced them to 140/5 over the next nine deliveries.
Captain Asalanka was still there though and Hasaranga joined him as the last recognized batter. Yet, the star all-rounder wildly tried to slog the first ball he faced only to see his stumps castled.
The shot was criticized even by the on-air commentators as irresponsible and resulted in the Lankans finishing on a below-par 161/9 in 20 overs. Yet, there was hope when heavy rain reduced India's target to 78 off 8 overs.
But, Hasaranga slipped up with the ball, conceding an incomprehensible 34 in his 2 overs. With India struggling at 14/1 in 2 overs, the leggie gave away 16 runs off the next over to bring the match in the balance.
Then with India needing 24 off 18, Hasaranga bowled an 18-run over to effectively seal Sri Lanka's fate.
The dismal all-round showing by such a highly-ranked cricketer had fans seething as Sri Lanka suffered another series defeat.
Hasaranga's criticisms have stemmed from a series of building mishaps
![[Credit: Getty] Sri Lanka endured a dismal campaign under Hasaraga in the 2024 T20 World Cup](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/ba1e4-17223267731797-1920.jpg?w=500)
Wanindu Hasaranga's criticisms after the second T20I against India have built up over time and aren't just based on the isolated off-game.
For starters, he retired from Test cricket in the middle of 2023 only to reverse the decision and be selected for Sri Lanka's two-Test series against Bangladesh earlier this year. While he did not play a single game, a subsequent left foot injury ruled him out of IPL 2024, much to the dismay of the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) who picked him as their primary spinner in the auction.
Furthermore, Hasaranga took over as Sri Lanka's T20I captain and led the side during the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. However, a dismal showing saw the 2014 champions exit the tournament before even the Super Eights.
Following the exit, the 27-year-old slammed the social media by saying:
"First , as a player, we should not look at social media posts, as we know how sri lankan fans are supporting us, wherever we play the comment supporters even today we so in this location also they came to support us. So we can't blame it on them whats on social media as what's on social media are done by a small group of people to make other fans angry with us."
The final nail to this coffin was when Hasaranga stepped down as Sri Lanka's T20I captain after being in the role for only six months and 10 games. During his stint, he also endured a two-game suspension for showing dissent to an umpire.
Further worsening Hasaranga's criticisms has been his dwindling returns as a batter in white-ball cricket. From someone who averaged over 25 in each season from 2019 to 2022 in ODIs, his averages over the last two years have been under 18.
Several such issues finally reached the boiling point amongst fans and experts after Hasaranga's shocking performance in the second T20I against India, leading to massive criticisms.