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We Have The
Advantage Says Jayawardene After 2nd Day Of 1st Digicel Test
Sri Lankan players celebrate the wicket of Chris Gayle
SUNDAY MARCH 23 – PROVIDENCE, GUYANA – Sri Lankan captain
Mahela Jayawardene said that his team is firmly in command
of the First Digicel Test at the Guyana National Stadium,
Providence after declaring on 476 for 8 on the second day
and picking up the crucial wicket of captain Chris Gayle
late in the day.
“We’ve got the advantage, we’ve done all the hard work now,
it’s in our hands to make sure we keep putting pressure on
the West Indies batters, they have to make sure that they
bat for at least two days to get in a position where they
think they can win this game, we’re in a very good position,
probably in a position where we couldn’t lose this Test
match, we just need to make sure we push for a result now,”
a confident Jayawardene told journalists after the end of
the second day’s play.
The Sri Lankan captain scored his 22nd Test century as he
led his team to a score which he says is worth more on the
slow Providence pitch.
“I reckon 460 is (worth) about 550 on this wicket so we got
the runs on the board, got a very good wicket of Chris
(Gayle) up front and if we can push for a few more wickets
tomorrow we can really put them under pressure,” said
Jayawardene who top scored with 136 from 234 deliveries to
become the second Sri Lankan century maker in the innings
after opener Malinda Warnapura’s 120 on the first day.
With one hour to bat after the Sri Lankans declared the West
Indians reached 29 for the loss of Gayle who was trapped LBW
to his arch nemesis Chaminda Vaas for the seventh time in
his career. Ramnaresh Sarwan (21*) and Devon Smith (8*)
ensured no further casualties for the home team but the Sri
Lankan captain said their plan had worked perfectly.
“In that hour we were trying to get one wicket, that was it,
anything else would have been a bonus and we got that wicket
upfront which was a big one so I’m very happy with it, the
declaration was to make sure we at least get one wicket
which we got,” Jayawardene explained.
And while he refrained from saying that the Sri Lankan team
had Gayle’s number, he did say they know where to bowl to
the West Indies captain who has never scored a half century
against Sri Lanka in any of his ten attempts.
“He is struggling against Vassy (Chaminda Vaas), not just
Vassy but a lot of left armers have troubled him in the last
few years, we know the area to bowl to him so we just make
sure we hit that area and ask a question from him to see
whether he’s got an answer or not,” Jayawardene said.
Against Sri Lanka, Gayle has made five ducks with a top
score of 44 and has not reached double figures on seven
occasions.
When questioned on whether it was risky for him to declare
at 476 for 8 which some analysts felt was a bit too early,
Jayawardene said the team was satisfied that they had made
the right judgment call.
“We thought there is no point bowling 4 or 5 overs, a good
10 to 12 overs would be good enough for us so even if we
have to bat a second time, we will still have enough time on
the fifth day to push for a result, it’s a slow wicket, you
can’t predict anything but it’s in our hands to work really
hard and push for a victory,” Jayawardene said.
Asked what was the key to scoring runs on the pitch which
proved to be batsman friendly but which is getting
increasingly slower Jayawardene said patience need to be the
watchword.
“I think you need to be very patient, it’s difficult to play
shots off, maybe with the harder ball it is a bit easier but
once it gets old it’s tough so you have to be very patient
and have a game plan,” Jayawardene reasoned.
He thinks that his spinners, especially world record holder,
Muttiah Muralitharan will hold the key on the third day of
the opening Digicel Test.
“We know once the ball gets older the spinners will get more
effective, it was skidding through a bit (this afternoon)
because the ball was hard,” Jayawardene explained.
And he said he was delighted to finally get a Test hundred
against the West Indies.
“It means a lot, I missed a hundred against West Indies in
Colombo, 98 run out, so getting that was a big one,
especially away from home,” Jayawardene revealed.
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