SL buoyant despite first-Test defeat

• Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this one has tasted enough recent success to remain confident about its ability to roar back

Sri Lanka are delighted by Rangana Herath’s likely return for the second Test – AFP

ESPNCricinfo: Wellington woke bleary-eyed from a year-end party that had stretched late into the night, but the Basin Reserve was tense with purpose and energy early on New Year’s Day. Sri Lanka had been relaxed following their eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Christchurch. The post-match football game - a tradition in overseas Tests, win or lose - was played in typically high spirits, before the team set out on a farm excursion in Canterbury the day after. Previous Sri Lanka sides might have been beset by anxiety following a big overseas loss, but this is a team for whom the successes of 2014 are fresh in the mind. Their captain is, as ever, a wellspring of zen. “One loss doesn’t suddenly make us a bad team,” is Angelo Mathews’ go-to refrain at these times, and on that count, his team has proved him correct on several occasions over the past six months. Back in the nets after two days of rest and travel, though, Sri Lanka were refreshed and focused. Kumar Sangakkara’s desperation to overcome an awful first Test manifested in a long batting session. Unsurprisingly, he was among the last to emerge from the nets, tired coaches in tow. Openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva had some extra attention too, and there was a marked collective spring to the fielding session. Had Sri Lanka not spilled four catches on the first day in Christchurch, that Test might have played out a little differently. They were perhaps goaded on by a pitch that appeared greener than even the strip they had encountered at the Hagley Oval in the approach to Boxing Day. Players who looked closely at the pitch reported close to an inch of grass - enough to make the square almost indistinguishable from the rest of the field. But while that could have been a cause for worry, there were no grumbles from the Sri Lanka camp, only acceptance of poor performance, and determination to preserve a reputation as a decent team outside Asia. “We know we didn’t bat well in the first innings,” Lahiru Thirimanne said. “It wasn’t actually that hard to bat on that wicket, but we played some rash shots. So we need to concentrate a little bit more about leaving the ball and playing close to the body. We practiced really hard today, so hopefully we can do those things in the match as well.” Sri Lanka were bolstered between Tests by the arrival of Rangana Herath, who was sufficiently recovered from the hamstring tear he suffered in mid-December to go through an extra fielding session with coach Trevor Penney. Though Brendon McCullum had laid waste to the Sri Lanka attack in the first innings in Christchurch, a quiet confidence has built in the bowling group after their spirited defence of 105 on the fourth day. “In the first Test we saw some green on the surface, but this looks even greener I think,” Thirimanne said. “Our fast bowlers might like it as well because they will look forward to getting some early breakthroughs. Our bowling in the second innings was quite good. We bowled good areas and they couldn’t get runs easily, so we just want to bowl those same areas and make it hard for them to score runs.” Herath’s return is particularly significant, because of New Zealand’s struggles against him in the past. In four matches, Herath averages 19.58 against them - his best against any nation. That figure stretches to 40 in the only Test he played in New Zealand, but he is now a vastly improved bowler since that game in Napier in 2005. In the last three years, he has picked up five-wicket hauls in Australia and South Africa, and made significant contributions in early-summer English conditions in 2014. “I think Herath will play the second Test,” Thirimanne said. “He took wickets in similar conditions in England, so we’re confident about his ability to take wickets here.” Thirimanne’s return to the Test team and move to no.4 in the order has not been immediately successful, as he collected a match aggregate of 49 in Christchurch. Thirimanne said he took plenty of confidence in his long stay at the crease in the second innings, however, when he played out 124 deliveries in over three hours in the middle. “Batting at No. 4 is a big challenge for me, because that was Mahela Jayawardene’s spot. I need to work very hard to live up to that. It’s a position that’s very valuable for the team and we’re used to some top performances from our No. 4 batsman. That’s not an easy loss to fill. But I’m taking it game by game, and I’ve filled my head with thoughts about how the next match should be approached. “In the second innings, what we needed most was for someone to build a partnership with Dimuth Karunaratne. The way I batted in that innings is perhaps not my natural style, but it was good in the sense that I hit a lot of balls in the middle of the bat. I’m happy with that.”