Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva criticizes their limited Test schedule as a major disadvantage. He urges for more opportunities for Sri Lanka to play Test cricket.
Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, has voiced his strong disapproval regarding the team’s limited Test match schedule for the current year. He considers it a significant setback for a team like Sri Lanka, which is striving to excel in Test cricket, to have such a sparse number of matches.
Schedule Concerns
De Silva’s concerns stem from the fact that Sri Lanka only has a total of four Test matches this year, including the current two-match series against Australia. Following this series, their only other Test fixtures are two home matches against Bangladesh in 2025. This leaves the team with a very limited number of opportunities to compete in the longest format of the game.
The future doesn’t appear much brighter either, with only 12 Test matches scheduled for Sri Lanka in the next World Test Championship cycle. This averages out to a mere six Tests per year, which de Silva sees as inadequate for a country with a rich Test cricket history and a competitive team. He mentioned, “It’s really disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests.” He further added that this limited schedule is a “big disadvantage,” particularly for a team with the potential and ambition of the Sri Lankan side.
Call for More Test Matches
De Silva has expressed his desire for more fixtures and intends to engage in discussions to explore possibilities of increasing their Test match opportunities. He is optimistic that Sri Lanka Cricket will look into organizing more Test series. He also emphasizes that while they hope for more opportunities, the team’s immediate focus will be on performing well in the matches they have. He stated, “I’m hoping we can get more fixtures than we have. We’re hoping to discuss the opportunity to play more Test series and hopefully we get an open window for that. Hopefully Sri Lanka Cricket can organise something. But all we can do is control what we can, and play good cricket in the matches that we do get.”
World Test Championship Ambitions
Sri Lanka had a chance to reach the World Test Championship final and were in contention if they had managed to win at least one of their two Tests against South Africa. However, their loss in South Africa eliminated them from contention. Now, their best hope is to finish just behind the finalists, Australia and South Africa. To achieve that, Sri Lanka needs a 2-0 series win against Australia. This makes it a very crucial series for Sri Lanka’s campaign in the current championship.
While the schedule is set for this year, De Silva and his team remain determined to put up the best performances possible in the matches they are able to play. They will continue to push for more games and opportunities for Sri Lanka to show their strength in Test cricket in the coming years.
Sources: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/dhananjaya-de-silva-wants-sri-lanka-to-play-more-test-cricket-1470787
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/sri-lanka-vs-australia-its-really-disappointing-to-have-only-four-tests-dhananjaya-de-silva-disappointed-with-schedule-9804903/
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/sri-lanka-captain-dhananjaya-urges-board-to-get-more-tests-for-team-terms-lack-of-fixtures-a-big-disadvantage-101738087480296.html