Sri Lanka looking to win and improve ICC rankings

Crucial Final Test begins in Galle today:

Chris Dhambarage

Having already taken an unbeatable one nil lead in the series Sri Lanka will be hoping to improve on their International Cricket Council rankings when they take on the touring England team in the third and final Test match at the Galle International Stadium starting today.

Sri Lanka could climb into the second place of the team rankings if they could win the series two nil while England need to win this match to consolidate their position in the rankings.

However unseasonal rains are threatening to cause havoc with this historic Test match which will be the first to be played at this venue since the terrible tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.

Until then the Galle Stadium was one of the most scenic venues in the World with the Indian Ocean visible on two sides of the ground and the famous clock tower of the 16th Century Dutch Fort towering above.

But heavy rain during the last few days has left much of the playing areas under water and the ground staff is battling to get the venue ready in time for the Test.

The Galle stadium had been due to host the first Test of the series but that was changed because of delays in the reconstruction of the ground.

However venue manager Jayananda Warnaweera said that for the people of Galle this is a celebration and expressed his confidence that the match will go ahead as schedule. He said that the scenes have been very emotional and that is why people are absolutely desperate for this match to take place.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardena said that walking out at the re-built Galle international stadium will be an emotional thing for him and his players. He said that a lot of players hail from down south and they have also lost quite a few relatives in the tsunami disaster.

The Sri Lankan captain said that it is going to be more of a celebration rather than anything else. But Jayawardena believed that they need to move forward as a nation and as a team and need to concentrate purely on the cricket at the moment.

He said that they will remember the people but it is a fresh new start for the game in the southern province.

The future of this venue of course was in some doubt but thanks to International support from such luminaries as Ian Botham and Shane Warne who had captured his 500th Test wicket on the same ground earlier that year a pledge was made to rebuild the ground from scratch and that work was completed in time for the visit by the England team. Until the disaster the Galle Stadium had been something of a Sri Lankan stronghold with six victories and just two defeats from the eleven Test matches.

The majority of these victories have been fashioned by the champion off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who had captured a total of 87 wickets from these matches.

Muralitharan who recently broke Australian Shane Warne's World record for the most number of Test wickets has a fantastic average of 16.14 at this ground with a best effort of seven wickets for 46 runs.

The Galle Stadium has been a happy haunting ground for skipper Mahela Jayawardena too having piled up 1176 runs from the eleven matches at a superb average of 84.00. The elegant right hander has scored three centuries and six fifties at this venue with a best effort of 237.

In fact Jayawardena established a new World record during the second Test at the SSC when he emerged as the highest run getter at a single venue while surpassing former England opener Graham Gooch's previous record of 2115 runs which he made at Lord's.

Sri Lanka's vice captain Kumar Sangakkara also has an average of more than fifty runs at the Galle Stadium having scored 601 runs from the eight Test matches. The stylish left hander who currently shares the number one position in the International Cricket Council Rankings for batsmen along with Australian captain Riky Ponting, has scored two hundreds and four half centuries with a best performance of 140.

Incidentally Sri Lanka has made the second highest total at this ground where they amassed a massive 590 for 9 against the West Indies in November 2001. England of course have played just two Test matches at this venue losing one and drawing the other.

They held Sri Lanka to a creditable draw in their previous visit to this ground before losing the third Test in Colombo by and innings and 215 runs which is their third biggest defeat in the history.

The pressure will be on the England team as they will be determined to make a comeback and level the series. Even then there is a little bit of unpredictability on the wicket which will be even worrying the home team.

This will be a completely new track and both teams have delayed in announcing their final eleven until the start of the game.

England will be hoping that the injured Mathew Hoggard would return back to the side after missing the second Test in Colombo. Sri Lanka's middle order will be strengthened with the return of Tillekeratne Dilshan and Chanaka Welagadera has also been named in the squad for the injured Dilhara Fernando.

Match delayed by two hours

The start of the third and final Test match between Sri Lanka and England has been delayed by two hours following further bad weather in Galle yesterday.

Monsoon rain fell last afternoon just after the covers were taken off the wicket to allow it to dry following persistent showers over the previous two days.

Media Manager Sri Lanka Cricket Samantha Algama said that as a result both teams have been informed that the first session of play would effectively be scrapped.

The ground staff is battling to prepare a suitable pitch and play is now scheduled to start at 12.30 p.m weather permitting.