COLOMBO, Jan 5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's white ball series against Zimbabwe starting at the weekend is a chance for the team to show improvement after last year's dismal World Cup campaign, skipper Kusal Mendis said Friday.

Mendis led the team to a second-from-bottom placing at the World Cup, after captain Dasun Shanaka withdrew injured, finishing ahead only of the Netherlands. 

Appointed one-day captain this week, Mendis said the team had trained intensely to bolster their fielding, after 16 catches were dropped in India. 

"Fielding is one area that we have worked really hard during the last two weeks. It was a big letdown for us during the World Cup," he said.
"It was bitterly disappointing. We could have fared better in the World Cup had we been more disciplined on the field," he added. 
"I can promise you that there's been a lot of hard work and you can see the results in this upcoming series."

Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play three ODIs starting Saturday followed by three T20 fixtures, all in Colombo. 

The one-day matches form part of the Super League that will determine qualification for the next ODI World Cup, in southern Africa in 2027.
The past two World Cups were restricted to 10 teams, meaning two-time champions West Indies missed out on the Id=ndia showpiece. 

Eleventh-ranked Zimbabwe also missed the last two tournaments, after attending every World Cup from 1983 to 2015, and captain Craig Ervine welcomed plans to accommodate more teams in the next edition. 

"It is hugely important that more teams compete in global events such as World Cups. It's better for cricket," he said.

"Teams like us don't get to play top teams like India, Australia and England often and events like the World Cup are the only occasion we get to compete against the best."