“A great victory” says Sangakkara

GALLE: Kumar Sangakkara described his team’s come-back win over Pakistan at the Galle International Stadium as “a great victory” but warned that there was a lot of work to be done especially in the batting department.

Kumar Sangakkara

“We fell very short of our expectations of what we can do. It’s a great victory for us as a side but there are a lot of things we have to work on. We have to be very mindful of the fact that we can’t get overconfident with one win. We’ve had one very good day today other than that we were behind Pakistan,” said Sangakkara after his team had snatched an unbelievable 50 runs win in the first Test. It was a dream debut for Sangakkara as Test captain having taken over the mantle from Mahela Jayawardene.
“It was a great effort by everyone especially with thinking and ideas. It was great to have Mahela in the side. He made a huge contribution especially through the crucial periods sometimes when little doubts come into your mind. Mahela stepped up and he was very good with his advice and his thinking.”
“We have a lot of thinking to do about our batting. In a long time our batting line-up didn’t make the runs we usually do. We’ve got to figure out where our off stumps are, what our mindset should be facing new bowlers we haven’t seen before, how to be as patient as possible and how to work through tough areas. Those are areas we have to work on and work on quickly. Until today Pakistan outplayed us. In the morning today we really showed a lot of heart and character to have played not so good over three days but on the fourth day produce a great effort,” said Sangakkara.
“We knew if we were to have a chance the first five to six overs were going to be crucial. We needed two to three wickets and we got them five down. We never expected it to happen so quickly. The way Rangana (Herath) and Thilan (Thushara) bowled was spot on. They put the balls in the right areas, they were patient and they worked very hard for their wickets,” he said.
Sri Lanka achieved this unique win with an inexperienced bowling line-up sans their two main strike bowlers Muthiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. “It is an inexperienced attack but also a fresh attack. The lack of experience was made up for by enthusiasm and a real hunger to do well and stay in the side. It showed through all the guys,” said Sangakkara. “When opportunities are presented a lot of people grab them and try too hard to do well but our guys played quite well especially our bowling and they managed to hold their disciplines and lines well.”
“At some point or the other we have to come to terms with the fact that we can’t always have the legends playing and winning matches for us. It’s going to happen to every team and we should move on. The real positive is we’ve got quality young players to come in and take up the mantle and blend in with the experience well. The things Murali and Vaasy have done especially bowling in partnerships its going to be very hard for anyone to come and match those performances. But there are a lot of people who are on the right track maybe they won’t reach the same standing in world cricket as those two but I think they will still win us a lot of games,” Sangakkara said.
“The important decision made was which bowlers we were going to start off with on the fourth day. There was a temptation to go with fast bowlers from both ends. The final over or two to (Mohammad) Yousuf swung the decision in favour of Rangana and Thilan. All the guys got together and had a good chat about it and that decision proved crucial,” stated Sangakkara.
The two bowlers dealt telling blows to the Pakistani batting grabbing four wickets for 20 runs in 15 overs in their first spells.
“Thilan was a bit more disciplined in the second innings. His key was to keep on bowling using his arms in the run up and try and hit the deck in the right areas. He was a lot more disciplined and thoughtful in the way he bowled. That was the major difference. He bowled very well in both innings but just that little change in mindset was the key.”
“All credit to Rangana, he’s been a magnificent performer in domestic cricket and in Test cricket for us whenever he’s had a look in. He has been very successful against Pakistan especially when we played in Pakistan. The decision to bring him down (from UK) was based on the fact that Suraj (Mohammad) and Malinga Bandara are our next best spinners to come into either the Test or one-day side. The decision was in favour of Rangana because he affects games, especially against Pakistan, and the fact that he is the best Test spinner after Murali and Mendis,” he said.
Praising the Galle pitch as very good for Test cricket, Sangakkara said that their experience against India and England in the past two years prepared them to expect something like what the wicket offered. “The wicket offered the fast bowlers something everyday and the spinners turn and bounce. You can’t ask for a better Test wicket than that.”