Sri Lanka v England, 3rd Test, Colombo, 4th day

Tillakaratne: 'We played positively'

Andrew Miller in Colombo

December 21, 2003

Hashan Tillakaratne: relieved but delighted © Getty Images

Hashan Tillakaratne was a relieved but delighted captain after Sri Lanka finally wrapped up their first series victory over England, with a landside win at the Sinhalese Sports Club. "It was a long wait, but it was worth it," said Tillakaratne, whose defensive captaincy had come under fire in the first two drawn matches. "After losing last time [in 2000-01], I really wanted to turn the tables on England this time. We were very unlucky in the first two Tests, where England were very negative. We gave them 140 overs in Kandy, but they didn't go for it.

"We played positive cricket throughout the series," insisted Tillakaratne, "and today we had a very large lead, which allowed us to attack. The bowlers did really well and they were backed up by some excellent batting. I thought it was a very good team effort." Tillakaratne added that it was a good toss to lose - something with which Michael Vaughan might agree, after his first correct call of the winter.

For John Dyson, whose stint as Sri Lankan coach began with that record-breaking ten-wicket victory in the Dambulla one-dayer, it was the end of a satisfying first full series. "The boys have been very professional in all aspects of their cricket," he said. "This is the first time I've been at close range to the guys during an international series, and they aren't a bad bunch of blokes either. They are self-motivated and practise hard, and have learnt to handle pressure situations extremely well.

"I think England find these conditions extremely difficult to play under," said Dyson. "The last couple of days have shown that you can cook them in the oven, and it really takes its toll. Sometimes English sides come to the subcontinent with a negative attitude, and start visualising things about the wickets that don't actually exist. But the young guys will take home a wealth of experience, because as a unit they fight really hard."

For Sri Lanka, the next big assignment is the arrival of Australia in February. "They are a very good side," said Dyson, "and it is going to be another really hard-fought series. It won't be easy, but they have shown recently that they are vulnerable at this point of time. All we can do is prepare as best we can, and give them a good hard fight."

The pivotal figure in that series, as ever, will be Muttiah Muralitharan, who was delighted to have got the better of England at last, after two injury-disrupted series in 2000-01 and 2002. "I have learnt to bowl the ball that goes the other way," said Murali, "and it troubles batsmen like Graham Thorpe. Last time he could play me easily because the ball was not coming in, and he was waiting to cut and swing me. This time the ball was coming in as well so he got out to me five times out of six.

"There was a little bit of bounce on this wicket," said Murali. "It was there on the first day and returned on the fourth and fifth days, but for the rest of the match it was a brilliant batting wicket." He has now taken 485 wickets in his 85 Tests, and Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 is getting tantalisingly close. "I think breaking Courtney's record is in my hands now," he admitted. "I am about 30 or 40 wickets away from it. If I play for another three or four years I can easily break it, but a lot depends on how Shane Warne bowls. If he bowls well, he could get there first."

Murali insisted that his spat with Nasser Hussain at Kandy was a thing of the past, although he insisted he was right to bring the incident to light. "I've forgotten all that," said Murali, whom Hussain allegedly accused of being "a chucker and a cheat", embellished with the odd swear-word to boot. "The things he said to me were the sorts of words he shouldn't use. He can say anything else - it doesn't matter and we take it as part of the game. But what he used is not appropriate."

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