Dav Whatmore, the Sri Lankan coach, has had a difficult few months. He detests losing and South Africa was a depressing tour. Like the team, he desperately wanted to bounce back against England.
Speaking after securing an innings victory at Galle, he was delighted: "I thought it was a fantastic effort by the team and I was really impressed with the manner in which we won. Normally when you win by an innings you do so in three days, but this one took four-and-a-half days and the players performed with a controlled amount of energy and patience right throughout the match."
He admitted that the history between the two countries made it special: "The taste of victory is always sweet, but particularly so against an England side that has shown signs of improvement recently. They were looking to show the world that they were worthy of climbing up the ladder and they are I think, but on this occasion we were able to match them and go one better."
Whatmore was particularly pleased with the effort of the support bowlers: "Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, and Kumar Dharmasena all chipped in and went some way towards dispelling the theory that if Murali doesn't get wickets, Sri Lanka don't win. It was pleasing to know that others can step in and take responsibility."
He believes that the decision to play Muttiah Muralitharan, despite the off-spinner not being fully fit, was justified: "Murali may not have been 100% but he still posed a lot of problems for the opposition batsmen. He didn't get as many wickets as he normally does, but it was worth playing him and he managed to bowl nearly 100 overs.
"Although he may have been a bit tentative at the start, he got his teeth into it and I didn't see much difference from the normal Murali. He is such a fierce competitor that even on one leg he would still want to stand up and bowl."
He admitted that they may discuss resting him in the Second Test Match: "His groin doesn't look to have deteriorated over the last four-and-a-half days. We may, however, discuss resting him in Kandy. I expect him to play though because he has another eight days now to regain full fitness."
Marvan Atapattu, the Man of the Match for his eleven-hour double century, received special praise: "Marvan's innings was a fantastic two days of sheer determination, commitment and patience. He accumulated runs rather than playing the big shots and that is what he does best."
Whatmore was impressed by England's performance in the field: "Their bowling was very committed and they held themselves together well during two very hot days. I thought it was a fantastic effort and they managed to restrict us to 470 when we really wanted a bit more.
"Their batting was also full of commitment. They really put their heads down and decided to occupy the crease. Their run rate, however, was not that great, which always gave us a chance as long as we were picking up the odd wicket along the way."
Last year Sri Lanka went one up in Galle against South Africa, only to lose in Kandy, Whatmore doesn't believe they will make the same mistake again: "The last time we were in this position we slipped up and we have got to guard against that. The memory of last year is still fresh in our minds and we will need no more motivation."
© CricInfo Ltd.
| Teams | England, Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Dav Whatmore, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan. |
| Tours | England in Sri Lanka |
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