Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya urges board to get more Tests for team, terms lack of fixtures a "big disadvantage"

Galle [Sri Lanka], January 28 (ANI): Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva on Tuesday expressed dissapointment with his team's poor Test cricket schedule, saying that it is a "big disadvantage" for the team and called for most long format fixtures to be given to them.
Silva's remarks comes ahead of the first Test against Australia at Galle. The two-match series is SL's last ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle assignment. After this, he has only two home Tests against Bangladesh in 2025. In their next WTC 2025-27 cycle, Sri Lanka has a total of 12 Tests scheduled as of now, at an average of six per year.
Saying as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "It is disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests. Honestly, it is a big disadvantage, especially considering ours is a good side, as well."
"I am hoping we can get more fixtures than we have. We are hoping to discuss the opportunity to play more Test series and hopefully, we get an open window for that. Hopefully, Sri Lanka Cricket can organise something. But all we can do is control what we can, and play good cricket in the matches that we do get," he added.
Sri Lanka was among the teams that had a chance of making it to the WTC final had they won one of their two Tests against South Africa last year. But after not being able to do so, Sri Lanka can hope to finish behind the finalists, Australia and South Africa. For that, they will have to win the series 2-0.
"We were close to getting to the WTC final," Dhananjaya said.
"We have a good side and we were unlucky in a couple of games. If you take the two Tests we lost to Pakistan [at the start of the cycle] that was a big drawback. But we need to finish the cycle strong. If we can get to number three, then we will be satisfied," he concluded.
Sri Lanka Test Squad for ICC Champions Trophy:
Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Lahiru Udara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake. (ANI)