The 31-year-old also cited the examples of top teams arranging bilateral series between themselves in the buildup to the tournament which would have served as ideal preparation. India played host to New Zealand last month whereas Australia toured Pakistan for a short series as well before arriving in Sri Lanka. “Preparation is very important,” he stated. “And it has a lot to do with the funding as well. We don’t have the money to have those comps, have those big grounds that we can play on, and I think if we have that funding from ICC, and it’s a request from us, personally from me, to really look into it, and if you really nurture us, I’m telling you, there’s so much talent in Associate cricket.
