'Rankings is the keyword': Dimuth Karunaratne wants Sri Lanka to reach top four in Test and ODI

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said that he wants his side to reach the top four spot in both Test and ODI rankings.

"Rankings is the keyword. I would say Sri Lanka needs to be in the top four of not just ODI Cricket, but Test Cricket as well. That would indirectly mean semifinalists to say the least and you are perhaps two games away from the plum. There onwards, it`s any bodies guess and if you do well on your day you could end up being World Champs," the official website of Sri Lanka Cricket quoted Karunaratne as saying.

Currently, Sri Lanka is at the eighth spot in the ODI rankings and at the fifth spot in the Test rankings.

The left-handed Karunratne also spoke about the impact of head coach Mickey Arthur, who was appointed the coach of Sri Lanka in December last year.

"Mickey is a no-nonsense cool bloke with loads of experience to back him and his brand. At the international level planning and role clarity is a norm," Karunaratne said.

"What is very important is the belief he has instilled among us in his own and subtle way. It surely helped and the result always speaks for itself," he added.

Karunaratne was chosen as the skipper of the side, but he failed to guide Sri Lanka to the semi-finals of the ICC Men's World Cup tournament.

"The boys and the respective squads are enjoying their cricket and that makes my job that much easier. If you like what you are doing and the environment to do so is conducive, the balance at this level of sport becomes that much more beneficial," Karunaratne said.

As for Karunaratne, he has played 66 Tests and 31 ODIs for Sri Lanka so far. He has managed to score 5,207 runs across all formats.