Latest news with #NationalSuperLeague
News18
28-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Dhananjaya After Sri Lanka Beat Bangladesh: 'Every Test Like A Knockout In WTC'
Last Updated: Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva emphasised the importance of the WTC after their innings win over Bangladesh, noting the need for points due to their limited Test schedule. Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva emphasised the importance of the World Test Championship (WTC) after his team decisively defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 78 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), securing their first win of the current cycle. De Silva highlighted that with Sri Lanka playing fewer Tests than most teams, each match feels like a knockout. 'The WTC is like other World Cups — a lot of matches are like knockouts for us," de Silva said after the victory. '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." Sri Lanka, scheduled for only a two-match series in this WTC cycle, depends on the 'percentage of points won" system to stay in contention for a top-two finish. De Silva noted how the WTC has shifted his players' mindset. 'It's become a competitive trophy. We've even started thinking about our run rates in light of what's happening. The Championship is a great thing for Test cricket," he said. '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." Win And Wait For SL 'We only have domestic matches," de Silva said. '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. 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." De Silva also discussed the team's strategic evolution in the series against Bangladesh. Besides scoring quickly, Sri Lanka's bowlers aimed to build pressure by delivering more maiden overs, a specific focus area for the team. 'Whenever we come into a Test series, we have some key performance indicators," he explained. '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." (With inputs from IANS)
NDTV
16-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Missed Big Chance To Feature In WTC Final: Sri Lanka Captain Dhananjaya De Silva
After South Africa broke the jinx and scripted a historic win in the World Test Championship final against Australia, Sri Lanka Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva reminded his troops that it could have been them fighting for the coveted mace at Lord's as the new WTC cycle is on the horizon. Sri Lanka had a decent shot at punching their tickets to London for the WTC 2023-25 final at the 'Home of Cricket', requiring three wins out of their last four fixtures. They had two away fixtures against South Africa and as many home contests against Australia. When victory was the need of the hour, Sri Lanka lost all of its last four games, some brutally, and finished sixth in the WTC standings. This time around, de Silva doesn't want to leave any stone unturned as they embark on the quest for the WTC final yet again with two home Tests against Bangladesh. "We had a big chance to get to the final, but unfortunately, we couldn't do it. Even yesterday, when I talked to the boys, I reminded them where we could have been (at Lord's this week), and where we ended up. As we start a new cycle, we know we have to win our home series. We need to pick up all those points. It's a great opportunity to start a new cycle with a home series," de Silva said on the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. Among the problems Sri Lanka will encounter is that their WTC schedule is scant and unsteady. After the conclusion of the two Tests, Sri Lanka, who will play a total of 12 fixtures, will play their next contest in mid-2026, almost a year after their last appearance in the format. Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews, two experienced stars who were pivotal to the limited success Sri Lanka enjoyed, retired earlier this year. Despite the setbacks and challenges, the Sri Lankan captain wants his side to focus on winning what lies ahead of them. "Our job as professionals is to adapt to any situation. We have to play the situations we're given - we can't blame anyone. Last year, we got a few Tests, but this year, we didn't, and that's not something that is in our hands," he said. Sri Lanka handpicked six uncapped players in the 18-player squad based on their impressive domestic performances for the two Tests that will mark the beginning of the new WTC cycle. "We need to prepare for the situations that we do get. We've had a good National Super League (Sri Lanka's premier first-class tournament) recently, and we've had good preparation through that. We've also identified a few good youngsters through that. We're looking to embark on this next journey with them," he added. Sri Lanka squad for Bangldesh Tests: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Sonal Dinusha, Tharindu Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Akila Dananjaya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Isitha Wijesundara.
Int'l Cricket Council
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
De Silva rues misses, confident about next WTC cycle
Despite these setbacks, Dhananjaya de Silva remains focused on the task ahead and wants his team to concentrate on winning as many matches as possible from the 12 scheduled Tests Sri Lanka will play in this cycle. A new-look Sri Lanka will feature against Bangladesh, with up to six uncapped players named in the squad, many of them selected on the back of strong domestic performances. "We need to prepare for the situations that we do get. We've had a good National Super League (Sri Lanka's premier first-class tournament) recently, and we've had good preparation through that. We've also identified a few good youngsters through that. We're looking to embark on this next journey with them.' Sri Lanka take on Bangladesh in the first of the two Tests beginning Tuesday, June 17 that will mark the beginning of the ICC World Test Championship 25-27 cycle.
