Pallekele: Sri Lanka is honing their spin attack in preparation for a three-match ODI series against the West Indies, aiming to extend their impressive home winning streak, skipper Charith Asalanka said on Saturday.
The island nation has won 10 of their 13 bilateral series this year, including eight out of nine at home.
Spinners have been Sri Lanka’s trump card, notably helping them end a 27-year drought against top-ranked India in a July ODI series.
“Spin is our bread and butter, and we’re going to play to our strengths,” Asalanka told reporters ahead of Sunday’s opener.
“We’re looking at three spin options. We’ve got leg-spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Jeffrey Vandersay, plus Dunith Wellalage. A couple of our batters can roll their arm over for some spin as well.”
All three ODIs are being played on the slow surface in Pallekele, where spin is expected to play a significant role, as it did in Sri Lanka’s 2-1 T20 series win earlier in the tour.
“The spinners were exceptional there, and I’m confident they’ll be a handful again here,” Asalanka said.
Both teams are keen to bounce back from their failure to qualify for the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan next February. They are focused on climbing the rankings to avoid the elimination zone.
“We’ve got to make sure we’re playing good cricket and keeping ourselves in the top half so we don’t find ourselves scrambling to qualify again,” said West Indies skipper Shai Hope.
“We’ll take what the pitch offers, and while it’s good to have a plan, you’ve got to play what’s in front of you,” he added.
