Suddenly, Sri Lanka have serious batting options.
It was only in July that they crashed out of the T20 World Cup after an exceptionally dire showing in their first two matches. They'd stunk up the ODI World Cup even worse in late 2023, failing to finish among the top eight, and as such, missing out on qualification for the Champions Trophy for the first time.
While there were issues with the bowling too, consensus had been that Sri Lanka's batting had been the biggest problem in both tournaments. But now they have won three limited-overs series in a row - an ODI series against a fairly strong India side in August, plus the 2-1 victories against West Indies in the T20I and ODI series just wrapped up.
These series have all been at home, and played largely on big-turning tracks. But it is difficult to ignore the signs of a batting resurgence. Nishan Madushka, the 25-year-old opener was the latest surprise, in his first ODI series, hitting 38 then a rapid 69 in the two one-dayers Sri Lanka won.
He had been opening in place of the injured Pathum Nissanka, who immediately struck a half century upon his return to the XI. Between Madushka, Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (who crashed a 19-ball fifty in the rain-reduced third ODI), Avishka Fernando, and even Kusal Perera, there is now serious competition for places in the top three, all between batters in decent touch.
For captain Charith Asalanka, this is a refreshing problem to have in his first year of leadership. Often, over the last several years, picking a Sri Lanka top order has been more about leaving out the players who were struggling most.
"I'm very happy about Nishan Madushka's form," Asalanka said after the series. "If we have a player in that kind of form on the bench, that's a big win for us. Now when we go into a selection meeting, we've got good headaches. The selectors, coach, and I have a tough time choosing a team.
"At the moment we're in the process of devising a system where we give players a good enough run in the team, and then also give others a turn. That's why today Nishan Madushka was dropped and we brought Pathum Nissanka back - there's no point talking much about Nissanka, we know he's been a special player for two or three years. Avishka played really well in the last series, so we needed to give him his place as well. But we now have a lot more hope about Nishan as well."
Among the changes that have allowed players such as Nissanka to make strong starts to their limited-overs careers, has been the introduction of Sri Lanka's National Super League domestic competition (NSL).
Where previously, Sri Lanka's main limited-overs tournaments had been the bloated club competitions, the last few years have seen the introduction of the NSL, in which only five teams compete, and as such represent a concentration of Sri Lanka's domestic talent.
Asalanka, who was player of the ODI series against West Indies for scores of 77 and 62 not out in the first two games, credited the NSL for his resurgence on the West Indies tour.
"In the last series, against India, I wasn't in form," he said. He'd made 49 across three ODI innings. "But I played the NSL tournament, and got an excellent result out of that. We've got to thank the board for holding the NSL. It's a tournament that has a competitive level of cricket. And that's for any player, whether you're in the national team or not. It's a place where you can gain form, build up your game, and come up."
Although not among the teams preparing for the Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka have more limited-overs challenges coming up, with New Zealand set to visit for the white-ball leg of their tour, in November. With their now being competition on the bowling front as well, in addition to the solidity that Kamindu Mendis provides lower down the order, they will head into those series with greater confidence than Sri Lanka teams usually have, since 2016.