As Sri Lanka gets ready for their two-match Test series against Bangladesh, kicking off the latest World Test Championship cycle, captain Dhananjaya de Silva has been keeping an eye on the recent WTC final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s. South Africa won that match, marking their first time claiming the WTC Mace, but de Silva felt a twinge of regret watching it. With a bit of luck and better performances, Sri Lanka could have been in that final.
Now, with South Africa’s win fresh in his mind, de Silva is aiming to inspire his team to aim for similar success in this new WTC cycle. He wants the squad to take a cue from the Proteas’ victory as they prepare to start their own campaign.
Sri Lanka had a solid chance to make the final in the last cycle. They needed to win three out of their last four Tests, two of which were at home against Australia and the other two tough matches away against South Africa. Unfortunately, they finished sixth in the standings after losing all four of those key games.
This is de Silva’s first time leading Sri Lanka in a World Test Championship cycle from the start, and he wants to make the most of it. “We had a big chance to get to the final, but we couldn’t manage it, he said to reporters just before the first Test against Bangladesh. “I reminded the guys that we could have been at Lord’s this week, but here we are instead.
As they kick off a new cycle, de Silva knows they need to win their home matches to gather points. “It’s a great chance to start fresh with a home series.
The upcoming cycle will be a tough one for Sri Lanka. With Dimuth Karunaratne retiring and Angelo Mathews expected to leave the format after the first Test, the team has some adjustments to make.
Despite the challenges, de Silva is focused on winning as many of the 12 Tests scheduled this cycle as possible. The squad for the two Tests against Bangladesh includes six players who haven’t played at this level before, picked for their strong performances in domestic cricket.
“We need to be ready for whatever comes our way. We’ve had a good national tournament recently, and we’ve prepared well. We’ve spotted some promising young talent, and we’re looking to start this journey with them,” de Silva said.
Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in the first Test starting Tuesday, marking the beginning of the ICC World Test Championship cycle for 2025-27.