Mahela Jayawardene has reiterated his disagreement with the decision to reduce the number of teams competing at the next ICC World Cup, after Associate nation Afghanistan gave Sri Lanka a scare in Dunedin on Sunday.
Jayawardene's 19th one-day international hundred ultimately proved crucial as Sri Lanka recovered from a dismal start to their chase, which saw both openers depart for golden ducks, to chase down 233 for the loss of six wickets.
Afghanistan's pacemen were particularly impressive, while Asghar Stanikzai top-scored with 54 for the underdogs as they set a competitive target.
However, with only 10 teams set to feature in the 2019 World Cup - as opposed to 14 this year - Afghanistan face a stiff challenge to qualify for the next edition of the showpiece.
Sri Lanka did not have Test status when they were given the chance to participate in the inaugural World Cup in 1975 and Jayawardene - a veteran of 647 international appearances - feels Associate nations should be given more opportunities to impress.
Asked if he backed the International Cricket Council's decision to stage a 10-team World Cup, Jayawardene said: "When I was asked that question a couple of years ago I said no to that, because I think Sri Lanka got that same opportunity in '75 as an Associate member.
"If we hadn't had that opportunity, we probably wouldn't have been here so I think it's important that we nurture and we look after these Associate members.
"They are playing some good cricket, give them the opportunity they deserve. The more cricket those guys play, the more international cricket, I think they will develop as a team - not only Afghanistan, but a lot of the other Associate teams."
Jayawardene acknowledged that Sri Lanka were pushed all the way by Afghanistan, and welcomed the challenge.
"I think for us to play a tough match like that is probably a good thing in this tournament," added the 37-year-old.
"There are areas which we need to improve and hopefully we can make sure that we improve those areas going forward.
"They're a very good team. We can't take any team lightly. It's a tough competition. It's important that we keep improving.
"It'll be good for us going into the tournament. We know if we are in a similar situation how we need to handle that."
(sportal.com.au)
