Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne raved about the team's new head coach Mickey Arthur and insisted that his side has what it takes to climb up the rankings ladder. 

Arthur, who was with Pakistan until last year's World Cup in the UK, joined the Lankan set-up in December and has since overseen assignments in Pakistan, Zimbabwe and at home versus the West Indies, enough time to leave an early impression on all players involved, including the captain. 

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“Mickey is a no-nonsense cool bloke with loads of experience to back him and his brand,” Karunaratne told Sri Lanka Cricket.

"At the international level, planning and role clarity is a norm. What is very important is the belief he has instilled among us in his own and subtle way. It sure helped and the results always speak for itself."

Plagued by insipid administration and constantly declining school and club cricket scene, Sri Lanka is currently struggling across all forms of the game. 

Placed eighth in ODIs and seventh in T20Is, the team is accidentally standing fifth in the Test rankings, but that is more down to other results in recent times than any of its own.

"Rankings is the key word. I’d say Sri Lanka needs to be in the top four of not just ODI cricket, but Test cricket as well," Karunaratne said.

"That would indirectly mean semi-finalists to say the least and you are perhaps two games away from the plum. There onwards, it’s anybody’s guess and if you do well on your day you could end up being World Champs."

Players coming out of the Island nation hardly inspire the confidence of bringing those glory days back. But Karunaratne is optimistic about the future. 

"The boys and the respective squads are enjoying their cricket and that makes my job that much easier,” he said. "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."

(Inputs from Reuters)