A coach reflects on Sri Lanka's return to form

The third Test match of the Pakistan series was the catalyst for Sri Lanka's recent success in the Singer one-day tournament and in this Test series. We desperately needed to perform in that game after losing convincingly at the SSC and in Galle. When Marvan and Sanath compiled their record stand it gave us the impetus to understand that we could still do it and score runs against the best.

I disagree that Pakistan took their foot off the pedal, they looked to be trying very hard and they themselves said that there would be no relaxing in the final game. They came into the game with a three pronged bowling attack, that is as good as any in the world, and backed it up with Arshad Khan, who had bowled well throughout the series, and Mushtaq Ahmed, a quality spin bowler.

The opening stand had a knock on effect to the other members of the team and into the other departments of our game. Despite the Test match only effectively being two days long it gave the team great confidence and encouraged the team to fully express themselves in the one day tournament, a format of the game for which the team has a natural aptitude for.

The brand of cricket we played in that tournament was fantastic, showing everyone that we have got a really good product in this country. The success created a snowball effect; the confidence in the side just grew and grew, giving us the self-belief that we could beat a strong South African team in the Test match series.

From the very first match in Galle it was clear that the team was switched on. We accounted for Pakistan with ease and then fought back magnificently against South Africa, first when we recovered after losing early wickets and then in the field when they were going so well in the second innings. I knew then that the guys were really switched on and were desperate to win. As a coach it is always special to see that deep desire to win.

The introduction of Avishka Gunawardena as the opening batsmen in the series was a success. It was a huge opportunity for Avishka, who unfortunately missed out in the first game but thereafter did very well, scoring one fifty and a few forties.

The prevailing conditions in Sri Lanka makes the ball get soft quickly and runs are therefore hard to come by later on. So you have to make use of the early overs. This kind of basic thinking is standard for Sri Lanka now, but you still have to go out and do it. Our opening partnerships were instrumental in ensuring we scored big totals and setting us up for chasing large totals. Avishka is no slouch and, in partnership with Sanath, ensured that we made maximum use of the first 15 overs.

The debutante, Kumar Sangakkara, was also very impressive and he clearly has a very bright future. Kumar's performance in the tournament belied his international inexperience. To come in at number five and knock the ball around mid innings is a difficult job, but he did it with aplomb. When you also consider that he also doubled up as wicket keeper, and did very little wrong, he becomes a very valuable member of the team. The most impressive aspect of his cricket to me is that he thinks as a player, he works things out and is then good enough to go ahead and implement it. He recognises the value of singles and knows when to take the calculated risks. He has a sound defence but also the ability to put away the bad ball.

With the success of the one-day series still fresh in our minds, we went into the Test series with confidence on a high and asserted ourselves early on. Scoring 145 in the first two hours was as good a start to a Test match as you can get and was almost intimidating. That really set the scene for the ensuing four days. The pitch was always going to favour spin and if you have a spinner in your side like Muttiah Muralitharan, who has now taken 275 Test wickets, then you are always going to stand a good chance.

This second Test match in Kandy is a fantastic opportunity to seal the series. We have been in this position before, against Australia last year, Zimbabwe last November and in Pakistan in March. It will only be achieved if the team continues to work very hard and continues doing the things that we have been talking about in practice. If they do, then I am very confident that the right result will come our way.