De Silva eyes fresh start, inspired by South Africa's glory

Taking inspiration from South Africa's triumph at Lord's, Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva is determined to steer his side towards success in the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

As Sri Lanka prepare to host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series beginning Tuesday (June 17), de Silva has called on his teammates to draw motivation from the Proteas' remarkable title win at Lord's, which closed out the 2023–25 WTC cycle.

Sri Lanka were in strong contention to reach the final of the recently-concluded cycle. Their route to the showpiece at Lord's was straightforward: win three of their last four Tests. 

But two home matches against Australia and two away fixtures in South Africa proved too steep a hill to climb. They lost all four and ultimately finished sixth in the standings.

Now, with de Silva at the helm from the very start of a WTC cycle for the first time, the focus is firmly on consistency and capitalising on home advantage.

"We had a big chance to get to the final but unfortunately we couldn't do it," de Silva said on the eve of the first Test.

"Even yesterday, when I talked to the boys, I reminded them where we could have been this week — at Lord's — and where we ended up instead.

"As we begin a new cycle, we know how important it is to win our home series and grab every available point. This is a great opportunity to start strong."

Sri Lanka face a rebuilding phase, with former skipper Dimuth Karunaratne having already retired, and veteran Angelo Mathews set to bow out after the opening Test.

Despite the transition, de Silva remains undeterred, keen to make the most of the 12 Tests Sri Lanka are scheduled to play in this cycle.

A fresh-looking squad will face Bangladesh, with as many as six uncapped players included, several of whom have impressed in the recent National Super League — Sri Lanka's top first-class competition.

"We need to prepare for all the challenges that come our way," de Silva added. "The domestic circuit gave us good preparation, and we've identified a few promising youngsters. We're ready to embark on this next journey with them."

Sri Lanka's campaign in the ICC World Test Championship 2025–27 cycle begins on June 17, with the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle.