Chandinal eyes consistency as Lankans leave for the Caribbean
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, (CMC) – Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal believes consistency will be the key as his side chase their first series win in the Caribbean.
The Asian side left here Friday for their three-Test rubber against West Indies, hoping to change the narrative of three previous tours which have seen them win a single Test in six attempts.

“We are all looking forward to the challenge. West Indies will be playing in their home conditions and we need to stick to our strengths and game plans,” Chandimal said before the squad’s departure.
“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.”

For Chandimal, it will be his first tour of the Caribbean, having not yet played international cricket the last time Sri Lanka toured the region.
He made his debut three years later and has since become one of the side’s leading batsmen, averaging 43 from 46 Tests. Last year, alone he plundered over 1 000 runs and is looking forward to extending his healthy run.

“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,” he explained.

“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 have had inconsistent results in their last 11 Tests over the last 11 months, winning four, losing four and drawing three matches.
Of note, however, was their impressive showing against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last October when they swept the hosts 2-0.

“It was a big achievement to end Pakistan’s unbeaten run in UAE last year,” said Chandimal.
“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.”
Sri Lanka open their Caribbean tour with a three-day warm-up match against a West Indies President’s XI on May 30 before facing the Windies in the opening Test at Queen’s Park Oval on June 6.

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