Social media displeasure over Dhananjaya's innings in the lost match

Dhananjaya de Silva, introduced as a strong middle-order batsman for the Sri Lankan team, has faced severe criticism on social media for his dismissal for a very low score of 11 runs in the Twenty20 match against England, which Sri Lanka lost, and for his slow innings spanning 12 balls. Many cricket fans point out that he failed to hit the ball beyond the fielding circle even during powerplay overs, and that his batting style is completely unsuitable for the Twenty20 format.

Spectators criticize his technique, stating that even the only boundary he scored was a lucky edge off the bat.

The majority of social media users sarcastically state that Dhananjaya de Silva has confused the Test match format with the Twenty20 format. Humorous comments have been made, saying he was "unluckily dismissed with 89 runs still needed for a century," to highlight the sluggish nature of his innings. Although strike rate is an essential factor in a fast-paced format like Twenty20, Dhananjaya is accused of continuously wasting balls and putting the team under pressure.

In the face of this failure, cricket fans' anger is directed at the Sri Lanka Cricket selection committee. They accuse the committee of removing or benching talented young aggressive batsmen like Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Janith, while forcibly including players like Dhananjaya, who are more suited for Test matches, into the Twenty20 squad. Many point out that this is not merely the player's fault but the fault of the authorities who make him play in an unsuitable format.

Furthermore, sports fans have expressed their concern about how this batting style will affect the World Cup tournament scheduled for next month. Spectators passionately state that it is tragic for a player introduced as a "Power Hitter" to be unable to hit the ball beyond the 30-yard circle, and that such selections are dragging Sri Lankan cricket towards destruction. Some have even mentioned that watching cricket matches has become tiresome due to their playing style.