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Sanath Jayasuriya has defended Tillakaratne Dilshan's captaincy as Sri Lanka get ready for the third and final Test next to Pakistan in Sharjah.
Dilshan replace Kumar Sangakkara as Sri Lanka captain after the World Cup and Sri Lanka have struggle for constancy since, behind Test and one-day series in both England and Australia.
A sketch and nine-wicket beat in the opening two matches next to Pakistan mean they can't win their current Test series, the final match of which starts on Thursday.
And previous Sri Lanka all-rounder Jayasuriya has protected Dilshan.
He told Sri Lankan newspaper the Daily Mirror: "Dilshan is an outstanding choice as captain. He is still new to the accountability. So what all Sri Lankans should do is not being putting him down.
"We should all support him and give him strength. We should give confidence him when he is failing. Even his batting breakdown is only temporary. That is only to be predictable with the added burden of captaincy.
"But if we put more and more pressure on him, it will take longer for him to recover."
Jayasuriya is undisturbed by recent results, saying: "I played cricket for the country for the past two decades. I have seen sufficient uneven periods like this to know that there is nothing alarming.
"Especially, you have to keep in mind that this is a team rebuilding phase.
"Having ups and downs is common in cricket. Yes, we are not doing well now. But it won't be permanent. There is no need to panic."
Pakistan were echoing winners in the second Test in Dubai, and captain Misbah-ul-Haq is keen to see his side build on that presentation as they look to wrap up a 2-0 series victory.
"We will go for one more win at Sharjah and I have told the players to go absolutely, in the same manner as they have been doing," he said.
"The best thing about this team is that no one player is key for us. Everybody here is key, it's a comparatively new team but players are ahead experience and it's helping the team.
"We are batting and bowling well in this series."
Pakistan is likely to attach with the same line-up from the second Test, while Sri Lanka could bring in off-spinner Suraj Randiv.
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