Sri Lanka had won the T20 World Cup back in 2014 but the island nation failed to make it beyond the group stage at the last edition in 2016. But, the Sri Lankan coach Mickey Arthur is confident that the team stand a good chance of winning the T20 World Cup 2021.

The Sri Lanka side in Group A at the ICC mega event this year, will begin their campaign on October 18 with their three qualifying games to be played against Namibia, Ireland and the Netherlands.

“I think if our batting clicks it'll give us a really good chance because our bowling attack is very good and our fielding standards have improved dramatically. That (batting) is an area we've worked extremely hard on over the past nine days,” Arthur said on Saturday.

“We've been very clear in what we want our players to do in terms of our match practice... So I'm really comfortable now that we have got better at it. But it's certainly a work in progress. There's no magic wand here,” he added.

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Sri Lanka will not be having Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis at their disposal for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE and Oman owing to their one-year bans for breaching bio-bubble protocols during the England tour in June.

According to the 53-year-old, even though the trio’s absence will be a ‘massive blow’ for the team, it has created some opportunities for youngsters in the national team.

“That was a bitter pill to swallow for sure. You suddenly got back to square one in terms of your planning again

It was really disappointing, but it led us to find the likes of Charith Asalanka, who has come on beautifully, Kamindu Mendis, who's playing beautifully... So out of that adversity, it's allowed opportunities to other players,” the Sri Lankan coach Mickey Arthur signed off.

(With Reuters Inputs)