Dhananjaya de Silva could be forgiven for feeling a touch frustrated. Having overseen an innings-and-78-run win against Bangladesh at the SSC, the Sri Lanka captain now faces an 11-month stretch without a single Test. Even so, he remains upbeat, crediting the World Test Championship (WTC) for keeping his side motivated.
“This is the first WTC cycle where Dhananjaya de Silva starts in charge of Sri Lanka AFP/Getty Images,” runs the standard caption, but the skipper’s own words carry more weight. “The WTC is like other World Cups.- a lot of matches are like knockouts for us,” he said after wrapping up the series 2-0. “We’ve talked about how we win when we make the fewest mistakes, and we need those wins to get those extra points. In the last cycle we made a few mistakes, and that’s what cost us. Hopefully we can correct that this cycle.”
Key facts first. Sri Lanka, at present, have only two-match series pencilled in for the 2025-27 championship. Because the table is ranked by percentage of points won, each game counts for rather more than it does for the better-resourced sides who play five-Test contests. Slip up once and the damage sticks.
South Africa’s surge to the 2023 title, despite a similarly lean schedule, is fresh in de Silva’s mind. “We saw last time how well South Africa did and how they performed well recently and they deserved to win it. They hadn’t won an ICC trophy and the Test Championship meant a lot to them. As a country, they can value that highly,” he noted.
The Lankan blueprint for improvement is straightforward: score quicker, squeeze harder. “It’s become a competitive trophy. Even we’ve started thinking about our run rates in light of what’s happening. The Championship is a great thing for Test cricket.” That ambition translated into 1,229 runs at 4.20 per over across the two Tests, while the bowlers delivered 18 maidens in 123.5 overs at Colombo – roughly 15 per cent. Those small statistical upticks matter. “Whenever we come into a Test series we have some key performance indicators. One of the things we analysed this time was that our maiden percentage needed to be higher. So that’s what we planned to do. We have to keep some pressure on the opposition in Tests, in order to get some wickets at the other end. I think our bowlers did that very well.”
The looming problem is match-hardness. Sri Lanka’s calendar shows no Test cricket until May next year, leaving the specialists to fend for themselves. “We only have domestic matches,” de Silva conceded. “Right now there’s a one-day tournament, and after that there will be a three-day tournament. There’s also the National Super League. That’s how we’ll have to keep our form. Unfortunately there are no Tests.”
Behind the scenes Sri Lanka Cricket are seeking additional fixtures. “We’ve made requests to SLC, to play more Tests. I think they are talking about it with other teams. Even if we can play three or four extra Tests, we’ll be able to continue the good things we’re doing.” Whether any board, grappling with an increasingly congested calendar, obliges remains to be seen.
Analytically, Sri Lanka look settled. The top order scored at a healthy clip; the seamers found movement early; Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin remains a bankable option on day four. What they lack is frequency. A modern professional can fine-tune skills in the nets, yet nothing quite replicates a new-ball burst at Lord’s or a final-day arm wrestle in Hyderabad.
For now, de Silva and his team leave the SSC buoyant, points on the board, plans in place – and time, far too much time, to think about both.
