The team played as one and in the end lost to a ‘friend’! Yet, it is sad that some think it fit to single out and berate a few players - Silva and Mubarak in particular. Both these guys were right at the top of the batting averages in the recently concluded domestic tournament and were, no doubt, in good form and earned their place in the team. So did Indika De Saram but he failed in both the practice games in the run up to the tournament.

Mubarak and Silva besides being good bats are excellent fielders. It was Mubarak who won us that game against Australia, a must win game for us. He has done likewise on several previous occasions in 50 over games against India, Bangaldesh and Zim, but unfortunately we have very short memories and he continues to be the whipping boy! Both Mubarak and Silva come in with a few balls to spare and in a T20 they are left with no choice but to go for it. Mubarak was not out in 2 of the 7 games, run out in one and given out lbw off a ball that struck his glove, but that’s how the game goes. He certainly had the opportunity of putting his critics in place at the final––coming at the start of the game but he failed to deliver and dashed our expectations. The disappointment got to our guts. But let us congratulate the boys on having brought us this far in a tournament which many expected us to leave in the first round. Let us say, "Well done boys" and leave it at that!