Ahead of Sri Lanka’s two-match home Test series against Australia, captain Dhananjaya de Silva voiced his disappointment at the handful of Test matches the hosts are scheduled to play.
What is Sri Lanka's Test schedule like?
Sri Lanka are playing only 13 Tests in the 2023-25 World Test Championship. In the 2025-27 cycle, they will play one fewer than that. Across 2024, they are scheduled to play only four Tests – two against Australia across January and February, and two against Bangladesh in June, all at home. Their next Test matches will be in the West Indies – in June 2026, a year after the Bangladesh series.
Their schedule disappointed former captain Angelo Mathews as well as, among others, Dhananjaya, the current Test captain. “It’s really disappointing, as a good Test cricketing country, to have only four Tests,” said Dhananjaya ahead of the Test series against Australia. “Honestly, it is a big disadvantage, especially considering ours is a good side, as well.
“I’m hoping we can get more fixtures than we have. We’re 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.”
How did Sri Lanka fare in Test cricket in 2024?
Sri Lanka impressed in 2024, sweeping Bangladesh 2-0 and winning a Test match against England. At home, they beat Afghanistan 1-0 and New Zealand 2-0, though they lost 0-2 in South Africa. The six Tests they won in 2024 are their joint second-most in a calendar year, behind only 2001 (8), and at par with 2006.
As with the 2021-23 cycle, Sri Lanka were not too far away from a WTC final berth, but were eliminated after South Africa beat them 2-0 and Australia beat India 3-1. A 2-0 win can still help them finish third, ahead of India.
“We were close to getting to the WTC final,” said Dhananjaya. “We have a good side and we were unlucky in a couple of games. If you take the two Tests we lost to Pakistan [in July 2023] that was a big drawback. But we need to finish the cycle strong. If we can get to No.3, then we will be satisfied.”
The Tests against Australia, both of which will be played at the Galle International Stadium, will begin on January 29 and February 6. You can find details on where to the watch the SL vs AUS Test series here.
