Is Every Test a Knockout for Sri Lanka in WTC?

Colombo, June 28 (NationPress) Sri Lanka's captain Dhananjaya de Silva emphasized the importance of the World Test Championship (WTC) following his team's impressive victory over Bangladesh by an innings and 78 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC). This win marks their first triumph in the current WTC cycle. De Silva reflected on Sri Lanka's global standing, noting that due to their limited Test matches, each game feels like a knockout round.

“The WTC resembles other World Cups — many matches feel like elimination rounds for us,” said De Silva after the win. “We’ve discussed that minimizing our mistakes is key to securing victories, which in turn earns us crucial points. Last cycle, we faltered due to errors, and we aim to rectify that this time.”

Currently, Sri Lanka is set to engage in only a two-match series in this WTC cycle, relying significantly on the “percentage of points won” system that allows teams with fewer matches to compete for a top-two finish. De Silva highlighted the shift in his players' mindset due to the WTC.

“It’s evolved into a fiercely competitive trophy. We’ve even started assessing our run rates based on the current scenario. The Championship is incredibly beneficial for Test cricket,” he remarked. “We observed South Africa's stellar performance last time, and their deserved victory was significant as they hadn’t claimed an ICC trophy before, making the Test Championship invaluable for them.”

However, despite their aspirations in Tests, Sri Lanka’s schedule is daunting — the team won’t participate in another Test until May 2026, posing a unique challenge for their red-ball specialists.

“We’re limited to domestic matches,” stated De Silva. “Currently, there’s a One-day tournament, followed by a three-day tournament and the National Super League. This is how we’ll maintain our form. Regrettably, we lack Test matches. We've made requests to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for more Tests, and I believe discussions with other teams are underway. If we could arrange three or four additional Tests, it would greatly benefit our ongoing efforts.”

De Silva also discussed the tactical evolution of the team during the Bangladesh series. Beyond quick scoring, Sri Lanka's bowlers concentrated on applying pressure through increased maiden overs — a specific area of focus set by the captain.

“Each Test series comes with key performance indicators,” he explained. “This time, we identified the necessity of raising our maiden over percentage, which we executed as planned. It’s essential to maintain pressure on the opposition in Tests for securing wickets. I believe our bowlers accomplished this admirably.”