After all the to-ing and fro-ing in the build-up to the tournament, the ICC Champions Trophy has finally got underway, and Wisden.com took the opportunity to speak to some of the members of the Sri Lankan board and their cricket team about the importance of the trophy, both on and off the field. Hemaka Amarasuriya, chairman of the Sri Lankan board, admitted that the competition was becoming more and more commercial, now that ICC has run out of non-Test-playing countries in which to promote the game. Anura Tennekoon, the Sri Lankan board's CEO, stressed the need for ICC to have all the nations playing against each other on a regular basis.

Back to matters on the field, Duleep Mendis - a former captain - admitted Sri Lanka had a bad tour of England, but have since "lifted their game", as shown by their victory in the Morocco Cup. He counted Sri Lanka as one of the favourites, along with the usual suspects: Australia, Pakistan and South Africa.

From the players' point of view, Aravinda de Silva said that everyone in the team appreciated the home advantage, despite the extra pressure. Being the host nation to a world tournament is, he added, "very important to the country", as well as making the trophy "very, very special".

It's going to be pretty special for the board too, who are looking forward to the revenue from international sponsors - money which Tennekoon says will be "very useful for the future of our game".

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