by Rex Clementine

Imagine Sri Lanka striding onto the hallowed turf at Lord’s next June for the World Test Championship final. That would be a real shot in the arm for the nation’s cricket. Who would have imagined that little Sri Lanka could climb such heights? Yet here they are, on the cusp of making history, thanks to stellar performances both at home and away, making steady strides towards glory.

As things stand, five teams are still in the hunt for the WTC final, but India and New Zealand have a mountain to climb. To put it plainly, India must win their current Test against New Zealand in Bombay and then triumph in three Tests down under, which seems like pie in the sky given their struggles against New Zealand on home soil.

The Kiwis, on the other hand, would need to pull off a nearly impossible feat – winning three out of four Tests. If they falter in Bombay, that would mean whitewashing England 3-0 at home – a tall order, especially on New Zealand’s smaller grounds, where England’s ‘Bazball’ style could prove potent.

That narrows the field to Australia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.

South Africa have four home games left, hosting Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Winning three of those should see them through. Australia’s path is clear but challenging – they need to beat India at home and clinch one of the Galle Tests against Sri Lanka to punch their ticket to the final.

For Sri Lanka, a win in Galle against the Aussies and another in South Africa could well secure their passage to London Heathrow. With only two spots up for grabs, all three teams will have to be sharp, allowing themselves little room for error.

The coming months promise high-stakes drama, with the fate of the World Test Championship hanging in the balance. And where better to decide this than Galle – a fitting stage for such a climactic event.

Sri Lanka will fancy their chances in South Africa, especially since the two Tests will be played in Port Elizabeth and Durban. These are the slower pitches of South Africa, where they pulled off a historic series win in 2019. With several veterans of that series still in the squad and the rise of run-machines like Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis, they’ll relish the challenge.

It’s unfortunate that Sri Lanka won’t have a warm-up game in South Africa, given the jam-packed international calendar. The good news is that SLC is sending the Test squad to South Africa early for acclimatization, but players like Kamindu, Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Asitha Fernando may be delayed due to their white-ball commitments against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka’s hard work is paying dividends across all formats. They’ve clawed their way up to fifth in the Test rankings – their best in a decade – and their sixth spot in ODIs came after a whitewash over top-ranked India. The team seems hungry for more, eyeing another upward move by securing ODI wins over New Zealand, who sit above them in the rankings. Hence, it’s likely that multi-format players will stay for the New Zealand series before heading to South Africa. Asitha Fernando might be an exception, though, as the team has several seamers ready to roll.

With grit and ambition, Sri Lanka stand at the doorstep of history. They’ve shown that, against all odds, they’re prepared to weather the storms and seize their place on the world stage.