Lanka in Test groove - Sanga

by Ranjan ANANDAPPA

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara after his monumental match saving unbeaten century along with Thilan Samaraweera said that he believes that his batsmen have fitted into the groove of Test cricket after the drawn 3rd and final Test at the SSC while they displayed staying power when chasing the biggest victory target (491) in the history of Test cricket. Sri Lanka ended on 391 for 4 needing a further 101 runs to win off 15 overs, when the match was mutually called off.

"We couldn't produce the brand of Test cricket during the 1st Test in Galle, and even in the 1st innings of the 3rd Test. On the last day we needed a score of 300 runs plus to win the match. Our aim was to get as close as possible to the target. Thereafter to ensure that we wouldn't lose. That situation arose only after the tea interval. But the Pakistani bowlers bowled outside the off stump and deprived us from scoring, and with Dilshan unable to bat we decided to call off the game with 15 more overs remaining," said Sangakkara.

On the pitches, Sangakkara said that the pitch in Galle was fantastic and the one at the Sara Oval was also a good one and offered everything while at the SSC it started turning on the first two days and both teams should be given the credit,as they played brilliantly in patches and either side could not put on a dominating performance.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan said that everyone was convinced that Pakistan would win the match on the last day because of their spinners Ajmal and Kaneria. It was the first time in the series that the match went on to the fourth and fifth days.No one knew the behaviour of the pitch on the last two days.It was getting slower and slower and our main bowlers switched from side to side and bowled their heart out to purchase something out of it. But Sangakkara's and Samaraweera's innings saved Sri Lanka. However, the outcome of the result of the 3rd Test, specially in the 2nd innings where Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal sprang back to form should put us in a positive frame of mind for ODI series, " said the Pakistan skipper.

Referring to the non inclusion of star spinner Danish Kaneria in the 1st and 2nd Tests, Younis Khan said that it was the right decision and justified the inclusion of Abdul Rauff instead of Kaneria.It was not the bowling that led to their loses in the first two Tests, the batsmen should take the blame. In both Tests the batting faltered after being in commanding positions. Kaneria was not that impressive when the two sides met in the terror aborted Pakistan tour recently. But now he has taken 7 wickets in this Test and is not so far in overtaking Abdul Qadir's number of Test wickets.

Former Pakistan skipper and present manager Intikhab Alam said that the team has the fire qualities of the teams of the past.

"Nothing succeeds like success, if we had won the first Test match, as we never thought that we'll lose it. The killer instinct would have come. We had a very good chance of winning the series, if you analyse the three Tests we simply blew it up. At least we thought we could win this last Test match. It has been very absorbing cricket throughout the test. Full credit should go to Sangakkara and Samaraweera the manner in which they played. I was a little surprised, I thought they will go for the runs, at one stage they had a good chance of achieving the target. Anyway I am pleased the way it ended. it would have been nicer if we had won it," concluded Alam.