We should have wrapped it up on day 4 – Prabath

• Made a few mistakes as a bowling unit

Sri Lanka’s leading spinner Prabath Jayasuriya admitted that they made mistakes as a bowling unit and they should have finished the first Test against New Zealand by day four at Galle yesterday.

Sri Lanka spinners Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis erred in line and length and the New Zealand batsman took advantage of those lapses to push the Test onto the fifth and final day.

New Zealand finished the penultimate day on 207-8, still requiring 68 runs for victory with two wickets in hand. One of them is of Rachin Ravinda who has stood firm amidst the wreck to remain unbeaten on 91.   

“The pitch is the usual Galle wicket and we know that anything above 250 is tough to chase,” said Jayasuriya at the end of the day. “It is really helping us now. We need to take two wickets but we are aware a set batsman is out of the crease. We need to put some pressure on them in the morning and wrap things up quickly.”

“The batters took a few chances against us. They actually have batted well. They are adopting an aggressive approach. We have made a few mistakes as a bowling unit but we are looking forward to moving forward correcting these errors.”

“We have a few plans for each batter and when you bowl a good line and length it pays off. We had a few close calls and with a bit of luck should have wrapped the game up in the last session without leaving it for tomorrow.”

New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel spoke of the advantage of having former Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath in their dressing room as spin bowling coach.

“It is awesome having Rangana Herath in our side. I grew up watching him bowl. With regards to stature, we are similar and to have him in our change room and talk things through is awesome. To listen to him, what to expect and know what we can expect from each Sri Lankan batter is valuable.”

Patel who took 6/90 to bring the Sri Lanka second innings to a swift end, said, “It’s all about controlling the ball and pitching it on the right areas. There were two phases obviously. One with the old ball and one with the new ball. With the old ball it was about getting as much as over spin and getting something out of the surface. Old ball it doesn’t react much. The other thing is bowling into the breeze and using the subtle change of pace to your advantage. The new ball obviously goes on quicker and there’s more bounce as well.”

“For me as a spinner it is about how I craft the wicket. There is a lot of talk going on about how to dismiss a certain batter. It is rewarding when those plans come off well. There are other wickets that the surface does for you. It is quite enjoyable.”

“As a spinner when you come to these conditions there are some expectations. As a bowler it is about doing simple things and controlling things you can control. It is about sticking to the process and the pitch does the rest. You need to persevere and try to do good things over a long period of time. In these conditions the players are good against spin as well. I like that challenge.”

“At the end of the day everyone would love to bowl to one spot. It is about creating pressure and trying dot balls and when you have players like in Sri Lanka who are good against spin it is tough to tie them down. Just about see what is available for the day and try to make the most of it.” – [ST]