da 888casino： Recent Test form had been putting the team under pressure; so this was avery satisfying series win
Dav Whatmore04-Sep-2001Recent Test form had been putting the team under pressure; so this was avery satisfying series win. We gathered our thoughts and reflected after thedisappointing loss in Kandy, before responding magnificently in the finalTest in Colombo. It was a fine team performance that will give us greatconfidence for the future.Dav Whatmore
National CoachThe star of the show, of course, was Muttiah Muralitharan. What anout-an-out champion he is. There were no demons in the wicket throughout thematch; it was easy paced, consistent in bounce, and offered very little inthe way of lateral movement. Murali, however, beat them in the air and offthe pitch during a marathon five-hour spell. It was an incredible feat ofskill, fitness, concentration and determination.Murali’s attitude throughout the three-match tour has been highlyimpressive. We have set out to play on new types of surfaces that offer fastbowlers greater assistance and none of the pitches deteriorated into thedustbowls that we have become used to at home in the recent past. Murali,however, who stands to gain most from crumbling surfaces, has notcomplained. In fact, he has thrown his support behind the move, which justshows that he has the team at his heart.When we batted, we placed a higher price on our wickets than we had done inKandy. Four batsmen capitalised on good starts to score centuries and thatis crucial. We will not win consistently if the batsmen throw away theirwickets after making good starts – 30’s and 40’s are not good enough, weneed big scores. Hopefully, we have learnt from the second Test and realisedthat we have to be tougher when we bat, especially in tight situations inthe second innings.The innings of Marvan (Atapattu) and Mahela (Jayawardene) were classyinnings and it was a terrific achievement for Mahela to score hundreds inconsecutive Test matches, but I would like to single out Hashan(Tillakaratne) and Thilan (Samaraweera) for special praise.Hashan had been under tremendous personal pressure after failing to click inthe first two games – he did though bat for nearly three hours in Kandy,which shows just the kind of grit and determination that we have beenlooking for. He must have been having sleepless nights before that innings,but he soaked up all the pressure and played some excellent strokes after hehad played himself in. To respond with an unbeaten century, his highest everscore for Sri Lanka, speaks volumes for his mental strength. He is extremelyfit too so, although he is 34-years-old, lets hope that he can keepdelivering for the next couple of years.Thilan has always been a workmanlike cricketer. He had forced his way intothe side with the sheer weight of performances with the A team and indomestic cricket. At every level in which he has played he has made the mostof his opportunity and did that again in his first Test match. When he firstwent out to bat with Hashan, we were expecting him to just play a supportiverole, which he did do for the first part of his innings, but after tea heplayed like a top order batsmen and reeled off some exceptional shots. Hemay not have bowled many overs in the game, but he picked up the key wicketof Ganguly to round off a perfect debut.Having established a lead of 376 India were left with over two days to bat.Although the wicket offered our bowlers even less assistance than in thefirst innings, we were always confident of winning, even after they startedso well, adding 107 for the first wicket. We just had to keep plugging awayand the bowlers did just that, maintaining a good line and length, which putthem under pressure and eventually led to those four wickets at the end ofday four.We have won a Test series for the first time since we beat Pakistan in March2000, but we will not be getting carried away. Sterner tests lie ahead. Wehave the West Indies here in November and we are off to England, SouthAfrica and Australia next year. These will be difficult tours and successwill be dependent upon us continuing to grow and develop as a team. We are,though, moving in the right direction.Indeed, one of the most pleasing aspects of this victory is that it wasachieved on good cricket wickets. Murali dominated the game in Colombo, butthe other bowlers all contributed, particularly Dilhara (Fernando) in Galleand Chaminda (Vaas) in Kandy. To win consistently abroad we need them tocontinue supporting Murali and do that we have to get used to this newsystem. If we hadn’t started practicing now then winning in May next yearagainst England would be very difficult indeed