Our Test cricket is in good shape; looking to Windies challenge: Dinesh Chandimal

www.icc-cricket.com: Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lankan captain, has expressed confidence in his side as they embark on a three-match Test tour to the Caribbean starting early June.

Sri Lanka have never won a Test Series in the West Indies and this provides a golden chance for them to re-write the record books.

“We are all looking forward to the challenge,” remarked Chandimal before the team set off on Friday, 25 May. “West Indies will be playing in their home conditions and we need to stick to our strengths and game plans.

“We have made lot of sacrifices in the last couple of months. We have trained hard and now we need to be consistent. We will take it match by match and I am sure if we live up to expectations, we can win this series.”

The last few series have been good for Sri Lanka. They became the first side to defeat Pakistan in the UAE, winning the two-match Test series 2-0. Despite losing the three-match Test series to India 1-0, Sri Lanka showed great resolve to overcome a stiff Bangladesh challenge at home, winning 2-0.

“It was a big achievement to end Pakistan’s unbeaten run in UAE last year. It was a very competitive series. Every individual in the team has contributed for the success and we need to maintain that.

“Overall we have struggled a bit, but our Test cricket is in a good shape at the moment.”

One of the key reasons of Sri Lanka’s success has been the form of Chandimal. The captain has led from the front in the longest format of the game amassing over 1000 runs since the start of 2017.

“Last year was a very good one for me and I had worked extremely hard,” he said. “I hope to be consistent. This is the first time I will be playing a Test series in West Indies. Although they have been using Kookaburra balls, now they seem to have converted to Dukes brand. As batsmen, it is another challenge for us as Dukes balls help the seamers a lot more. We are well prepared for these challenges.”

Sri Lanka will be without the services of two key players for the tour in Dimuth Karunarate and Dhananjaya de Silva. While the opener was ruled out of the three-match Test series after fracturing his left index finger during training, de Silva withdrew from the tour following the death of his father on Thursday.

“We have left it to Dhana (Dhananjaya de Silva) as to what he wants to do,” said Chandimal. “He has been given the opportunity take the best decision he feels and he is welcome to join the squad anytime.”

The first Test between the Windies and Sri Lanka will be at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain from 6 June.