Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 75 runs, meaning a draw would be enough for a first series Test victory since 2009, when they beat New Zealand 2-0 at home.
“We will go for 2-0 because we play our best cricket when we are positive,” said captain Mahela Jayawardene.
Andrew Strauss’ spin-wary England will slip to number two in the rankings behind South Africa if they lose or draw the second Test, but Jayawardene said his team was not going to show the tourists any mercy.
“When you play a team like England, you have to be aggressive and look to get in front of them from the first ball. They are a strong side and will come hard at us. But we’re prepared for that and ready to play good cricket. We played well in Galle and must now look to improve on that.”
It was at the same venue that Sri Lanka played their inaugural Test in February 1982 against an England side led by Keith Fletcher, which they won by seven wickets inside four days.
“It is going to be somewhat emotional. Everyone who plays the match will become part of our rich history. We are humble and proud to be part of such an important game.”
The Galle win was only Sri Lanka’s second, and the first at home, in 18 Tests since world bowling record-holder and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan retired in 2010 with 800 Test and 534 one-day wickets.
The other win came in December, when they thumped South Africa by 208 runs in Durban, but went on to lose the series 2-1.
Under-fire Strauss shrugs off captaincy talk
Meanwhile, Andrew Strauss insisted that he would fight on as captain and battle through his batting slump as the team look for a series-levelling win.
“We desperately want to win this Test match and make amends for what happened in Galle,” said Strauss, who is himself struggling to score runs at the top of a fragile batting order.
“I am very sure we have the ability to do it, and that is what we will challenge ourselves to do in the next five days.
“We have not been as consistent as we would like to be, and now we have this final chance to salvage something out of the winter and go into the summer with some momentum.
“I retain absolute faith in our players. You are not going to win every game you play. But if you retain faith, you will turn it around, especially when you have players of quality in your side, which I know we have.”
Strauss has gone 23 innings without adding to his 19 Test centuries, and managed just one three-figure knock in his past 48 innings but the left-handed opener, who has averaged a poor 28.52 since his last century, denied he was thinking of resigning as captain to concentrate on his batting.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2012.
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