Dhananjaya de Silva wants his Sri Lanka side to aim for the World Test Championship final after missing out in the last cycle.

South Africa beat Australia at Lord’s to win the 2023-2025 competition, ending a 27-year drought without an ICC title in senior men’s cricket for the Proteas, but Sri Lanka could have been in that position instead.

They needed to win three of their last four Test matches to qualify for the final, but lost twice at home to Australia, along with a pair of defeats on the road to South Africa.

Test captain De Silva urged his team to use their shortcomings as motivation for the 2025-27 cycle, reminding them how close they got to the showpiece last time around.

"We had a big chance to get to the final, but unfortunately, we couldn't do it," said De Silva.

"Even yesterday, when I talked to the boys, I reminded them where we could have been [at Lord's this week], and where we ended up.

“As we start a new cycle, we know we have to win our home series. We need to pick up all those points. It's a great opportunity to start a new cycle with a home series."

Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka 2025, Test Series Trophy Launch. #SLvBAN pic.twitter.com/JP3rRuS0AR

— Sri Lanka Cricket  (@OfficialSLC) June 16, 2025

Sri Lanka kick off the new WTC cycle with a two-match series at home to Bangladesh.

They do not have another series scheduled, however, until the middle of 2026 against the West Indies.

Veterans Angelo Matthews and Dimuth Karunaratne are also set to retire this year, while Sri Lanka selected six uncapped players for their 18-man squad against Bangladesh as a new era awaits.

"Our job as professionals is to adapt to any situation," De Silva added. "We have to play the situations we're given; we can't blame anyone.

"Last year we got a few Tests, but this year we didn't, and that's not something that is in our hands.

"We need to prepare for the situations that we do get. We've had a good National Super League [Sri Lanka's premier first-class tournament] recently, and we've had good preparation through that.

"We've also identified a few good youngsters through that. We're looking to embark on this next journey with them."

Their first Test against Bangladesh gets underway on June 17 in Galle.