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| Saturday, 20 March 2004 |
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We can pull it off today, says Sanath by Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Kandy Master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya was confident that Sri Lanka can pull it off today, the second cricket Test against Australia at the Asgiriya International Stadium here today. Jayasuriya set the stage for an unlikely win for Sri Lanka in the Test with a blistering century - 131. By the end of the fourth day Sri Lanka were 51 runs away from beating Australia and squaring the three-Test series having ended the day at 301 for seven wickets. "We still have a good chance of winning this game. Vaasy is batting well with Loku and we are in a great position now to win it," said Jayasuriya at the end of the day. "We are very confident in the dressing because Vaas, Loku and Zoysa can all bat and the wicket is still very good. We have just got to get through the first hour tomorrow," he said. Jayasuriya said that it was time he scored a hundred and it was quite appropriate the time. "I went through a bad patch through the one-day series and today I just wanted to occupy the crease and play straight during the first half hour and see how it goes. After that I just played my natural game and I thought it was one of my best innings," said Jayasuriya. "When you are not getting runs the confidence falls and I went through that, which is difficult because the expectations are always high." "When you settle and play positive cricket, the Aussies also have to change their plans and be defensive, which is what I wanted," said Jayasuriya. 'First half hour is important' - Buchanan Australian coach John Buchanan said that everything depended on the first half hour tomorrow. "If we are able to knock one over early we can create a sense of difficulty out there in their dressing room." "When it is a close game you tend to ride every ball and every boundary and every wicket. It is at an interesting stage with both sides going away tonight to regroup. Their partnerships are creating headaches for us," said Buchanan. "We love to see the back of Jayasuriya but we knew there was a lot more work to be done. Dilshan accelerated quickly and found a good ally in Vaas. I think Vaas has played exceptionally well and has chosen the right balls to hit but we are still confident of getting him out at this stage," he said. "What this wicket is showing is that while it takes turn and offers something to the quick bowlers it has also become quite batting friendly if you are prepared to play yourself," Buchanan said. |
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