Can we stay T20 top dogs?
The Sri Lankan team is currently perched at the top of the Twenty20 ladder as the number one side in the format. But will they be able to hold this status heading into next year’s Twenty20 World Championships and if they do, will they be able to live up to their top rank billing at the competition?
 Keerthi Gunaratne (Cricket coach)- We can keep our ranking and do well at the tournament. We have some very good young players but we must give them the necessary exposure. Australia did that against England and you can see how well they performed. |
 Maduka Gunaratne (Private sector employee)- I think we can maintain our standard at T20s heading into the World Championships. We have good young players who are improving with every match, so when the tournament comes around next year I think we will be prepared. |
 Vikum Gardihewa (Private sector employee)- When the T20 Championship comes around we might be even better than we are at the moment. Our bowling is better in the shorter formats of the game and this, together with our batting, makes us a very hard side to beat. |
 Shantha Amaratunga (Shop owner) - What is exciting now is that we are seeing a lot of young players finally performing and T20 gives them an even better chance to shine. We can definitely keep our ranking and go far in the tournament. |
 Chareendra de Silva (Finance manager) - There is a 70 per cent chance we can keep our top rank. I say 70 per cent because we are inconsistent. Our batting will click one day then fail the next. But we are generally good at the shorter forms of the game, especially at major tournaments. |
 Sathees Nadesan (Private sector employee) - We might keep our rank but I don’t know how we will fare at the Championship. We are a very unpredictable team. We might play well and go deep into a tournament but then all of a sudden we will play horribly at a certain stage. |
 Nandika Chandradasa (Private sector employee) - We can keep our ranking and win the tournament. We have talent. Guys like Kusal Perera, Chandimal, Thisara, Lahiru and Sachithra Senanayake are really bringing back that old style of Sri Lankan cricket where we play aggressively and fearlessly. |
 John David (Entrepreneur) - I don’t see us keeping our rank or doing well. We are very inconsistent so you never know how we are going to do at a tournament. |
 Heshan Munasinghe (Student) - People keep talking about youngsters but whether we keep our ranking and play at the tournament depends ultimately on the form of our seniors. That said, if a player like Kusal or Thisara starts firing in Twenty20 they can change the complexion of the game. But they, like our team, are very unpredictable. |