Sri Lanka captain Karunaratne praises Arthur, eyes top-four rank.

Sri Lanka cricket captain Dimuth Karunaratne lauded the impact of new coach Mickey Arthur on Sunday and said his side must target a top-four spot in the world rankings for both the test and 50-over formats.

South African Mickey Arthur was appointed as Sri Lanka's head coach on a two-year contract in December.

Former first-class cricketer Arthur has previously been the head coach with the national teams of South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan.

'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.'

Since Arthur's appointment, Sri Lanka lost a two-test series in Pakistan before defeating Zimbabwe at home. The are currently ranked fifth in the format.

The team languish at eighth in one-day internationals but managed to defeat a dangerous West Indies side 3-0 in their last series before the COVID-19 shutdown.

'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, 32, said.

'That would indirectly...