Skipper Angelo Mathews pleaded for patience from Sri Lankan cricket fans and administrators on Saturday after the reigning champion crashed out of the World Twenty20 at the group stages.

Sri Lanka's surrender of the trophy it won in 2014 is further evidence of its decline in the last two years, a process accelerated by the retirements of batting legends Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Now down at eight in the T20 rankings, Sri Lanka had a disastrous showing at the recent Asia Cup and came into the sixth edition of the World T20 tournament after recently changing its coach and captain.