Charith Asalanka wants to replicate consistency seen in Sri Lanka’s golden era

As Sri Lanka host to brace New Zealand for a white-ball series at home, the country’s white-ball captain Charith Asalanka is keen on replicating the consistency witnessed in the team’s golden era during the 2007-2014 period, where the Lankans were a near certainty for the knockouts of every ICC event.

Sri Lanka reached the final of the 2007 50-over World Cup and then backed it up by reaching another final in the 2011 edition. They also made it to the final of the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cup editions before finally triumphing in 2014, where they beat India to win their maiden T20WC title.

But it’s been a lull period in Sri Lankan cricket since then, with the team not having made it to the semis of an ICC event in a decade. They have, in fact, failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy next year. But Asalanka wants to break the pattern and is keen to take Sri Lankan cricket back to great heights.

"We need to climb up the rankings, because that shows we've been consistently winning," Asalanka said, reported ESPNcricinfo.

"Our goal is to climb to the top three in the rankings. If we've consistently been winning, when we go to the ICC tournaments, we won't get exposed.

"We'd have played good teams and won like we used to do in 2014 and before, when we used to get to the semi-finals easily. We are hoping to come back to that level. It's important to play really well from tour to tour."

While New Zealand will be fielding a rather weakened side for the upcoming white-ball series, the hosts will once again go full throttle. Asalanka made it clear that, at this point in time, the team’s only goal is to win, due to which they will continue to play their best XI whenever and wherever possible. 

According to the Lankan skipper, strong competition is the only way the team will be able to improve their strength in depth.

"We only recently started winning a few matches in a row," Asalanka said. 

"It's the same team that played. Until the base of our cricket improves a little more, we're trying to play the best XI. But we do have a big plus point, which is that the players on the bench also have had a chance, and they've performed well before they've gone back to the bench.

"We're hoping to play our best XI all the time. That's how our bench strength improves as well because they then know how well you have to play to get a spot in that XI. And the players in the XI also fight for their own places. I think we've improved that situation recently. Hopefully, we can develop 15/16 really strong players over the course of a year."

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