Published: Jan 14, 2014, 03:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 14, 2014, 04:02 PM (IST)
Jan 14, 2014
Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews was happy with the showing of both Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene after they turned out to be the key performers in their win over Pakistan in the second Test match at Dubai.
Mahela Jayawardene made a fighting century and that too with three stitches on his left hand. Wicketkeeper-batsman, Prasanna Jayawardene held nine catches in the game.
Khaleej Times reported Mathews as saying, “They made a huge impact in the team and Prasanna has the best hands.”
“They are very senior players and have a lot of ideas when it comes to the game … They’re really great to have in the team.
He continued, “There’s a good saying that ‘class is permanent and form is just temporary’ and that’s what Jayawerdene showed us in this game,” Mathews stated.
Jayawardene suffered an injury on his left hand during the Test, but Sri Lankan skipper was optimistic about his chances of playing in the final Test match. He said, “We all hope that he’ll get better and better and I’m sure he’ll play the next match as well. Fielding might be a problem, but he might be able to field in the outfield or in the ring without fielding in the slips.”
Sri Lankan seamers exploited the help that was on offer on the first day of the Test. Mathews said, “They actually set it up for us,” Mathews said. “The toss was a bit crucial but I thought you need to bowl in the right areas to get them out. They did exactly that.”
Sri Lanka didn’t play a single Test for nine months yet, they have performed well in the ongoing series. Mathews gave his opinion on it by saying, “I thought we adjusted pretty well by coming back into the game in the first Test and performing like this in the second is very pleasing.”
Mathews concluded by saying, “It was very helpful for the fast bowlers on the first day, but after that it became a bit slow … good for the batsmen, as usual.”
