Dilshan: Pace will classify our opportunity

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan has thought his country's cricketing opportunity dishonesty in the hands of the fast bowlers.

"In the past 20 years or so, we have depended on the spin of (Muttiah) Muralitharan for our achievement," said Dilshan previous to the team left for the UAE to meet Pakistan in a series of three Tests, five one-day internationals and a one-off twenty20 international.

"Murali is a bowler who can take six to eight wickets in an innings - we have still not found anyone who can do it as constantly as him," added Dilshan.

"The future for our achievement lies with our fast bowlers. In the spin part, only Rangana Herath has proved himself a top quality bowler. If we hope to win Test matches, we will have to have the carry of the other spinners as well," he said

Sri Lanka suffer a blow when one of their most hopeful young fast bowlers, Shaminda Eranga, was lined out of the tour with a carry injury.

Dilshan said he was not concerned that Sri Lanka had yet to record a Test win in their last 11 matches since the retirement of Muralitharan, who broken his career with a world record pull of 800 Test wickets last year.

"We have lost two matches and strained nine and that is not a bad record," said Dilshan.

"We lost the two Tests to very good sides - England and Australia - one of them was due to a poor batting presentation at Cardiff and in the other at Galle, the toss played a vital role.

"If you seem back on the rest of our performance, I am quite fulfilled," he added.

Dilshan said that he was sure his team would be able to end their win lack in UAE.

"Pakistan has a combination of knowledgeable and young talent in their line-up. I think we can take on that challenge and hit them," said Dilshan.

Since attractive as captain from Kumar Sangakkara, Dilshan played under Australian Stuart Law as temporary coach for the tour to England and former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake in the new home series against Australia.

Sri Lanka has since chosen Australian Geoff Marsh on a two-year contract.

"Marsh is contracted for two years and he is an appreciated player and coach and I hope we can build on a good partnership and carry Sri Lanka cricket onward," said Dilshan.

He added: "His existence wills assistance a lot of youngsters and we can get a lot out of him to expand our cricket. While working jointly only we can find shortcoming and overcome them."

The first Test next to Pakistan starts in Abu Dhabi on October 18.

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Alastair Cook prove to lead England rout

England 171 for 0 (Cook 95*, Kieswetter 72*) hit Sri Lanka 174 (Sangakkara 75, Anderson 3-24) by ten wickets - D/L

Alastair Cook prove nothing new to himself but much, he hopes, to plenty of others as he led England to a 10-wicket NatWest Series-levelling victory.

England's new 50-over captain has come in for much flak over his seeming incapability to up his tempo sufficiently at the top of the order in the shorter formats.

But after his of necessity watchful hundred in Sunday's beat at Lord's, he cracked 16 fours from 75 balls in an winning 95 as he and Craig Kieswetter made no mistakes in response to Sri Lanka's inadequate 174.

James Anderson (three for 24) was primarily accountable for the tourists missing their total - despite Kumar Sangakkara's 75 - and Cook and Kieswetter (72no) then made nonsense of a revised target of 171, to total the job with almost 25 overs to spare.

"It's very satisfying, for all the hard work I've been putting in," said Cook. "I've always recognized I can play the one-day game; it's just a matter of trying to prove it to people.

"If I can keep bat like that, at that tempo - which I've exposed this series - it holds me in good stead." Cook was not tempting either to take Kieswetter up on his present to help him reach his third one-day international hundred.

He had been critical of Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews shepherd youngster Dinesh Chandimal to his hundred as Sri Lanka coast home at Lord's - and was not about to be part of something similar in Nottingham.

"Everyone enjoys a 'red-ink' - so watching Kiesy hit a six and a two was pleasing," he said. "He did ask which is fair sufficient. But this is the way we want to play our cricket, and proves that the team is always more significant than those personal milestone.

"He immediately said 'Shall I look for ones, or hit a six?' So he hit a six." The outcome was only ever in doubt - after Anderson and his member seamers Jade Dernbach (three for 38), Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad had hustle Sri Lanka out so inexpensively - because of the threat of rain.

But England's openers were unfazed by the meeting clouds, which in the end did not deliver. "When you win by 10 wickets and play as well as that, it doesn't get much better," added Cook.

"The way we bowled up front clearly put us on the front foot, and then I consideration that catch Bresnan took distorted the game - because they were getting a partnership going.

"Then the way Jade bowled in the power play - an area where we haven't done well and can get better our skills in - was very good as well."

As for Anderson's strange knack of taking wickets at this venue, Cook said: "I truthfully don't know why he does it as well as that. He just loves it here. It must be his favorite ground."

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was Anderson's first victim. He said: "He bowled really well and second-hand the conditions.

"They took three wickets in the first six overs, and it pressed us back after that. "But if somebody had batted really well in the middle order we might have passed 250. Then it might have been a dissimilar story."

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Dilshan lined out of third Test

Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was ruled out of the third power Test at the Rose Bowl, where Sri Lanka will in its place be led by Kumar Sangakkara.

Dilshan was not capable to bat in the second innings of the second Test at Lord's, having broken his right thumb after two blow on it from England fast bowler Chris Tremlett.

He then sat out the three-day tour match next to Essex at Chelmsford, but only today have Sri Lanka established the opening batsman will not be fit in time to face England again on Thursday.

Team manager Anura Tennekoon said of Dilshan: "He absolutely won't be playing.
"The main reason we've kept him out of this Test match is that, had he played and got another blow while fielding on that thumb, he might have been out for the rest of the tour.

"So as a defensive measure, we have kept him out."

Former captain Sangakkara, who submissive from the role in Tests and limited-overs matches after this year's World Cup, has therefore been convinced to take the job on again.

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Dilshan heap show Sri Lankan hazard

Tillakaratne Dilshan announce his entrance as Sri Lanka's new captain by beating 123 off 134 balls in the tourists' opening game next to Middlesex at Uxbridge.

Middlesex 360 for 8 dec and 26 for 1 lead Sri Lankans 309 for 2 dec (Dilshan 123, Paranavitana 103) by 77 runs.

Tharanga Paranavitana, who had joined Dilshan in an opening partnership of 209, the highest for any touring team alongside Middlesex, went on to make 103 before he connected the skipper in reserved to give other batsman a chance to impress.

Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal added a continuous 59 partnership to take the Sri Lankans to 309 for two affirmed. Dilshan delivered a mainly inspiring performance, having seen England captain Andrew Strauss make 151 on his first look of the period for Middlesex.

The visit skipper was drop on 10 by Jamie Dalrymple, low behind at second slip off Anthony Ireland, and once more on 114 by Strauss, diving to his right at point. But between those probabilities he played some wonderful shots which brought 14 fours and a six which was ambitious a long way back over Tom Smith's head.

He was also severe against Gurjit Sandhu, a 19-year-old left-arm seamer making his first-class first appearance, wounding him for three fours in the bowler's first over and driving him throughout the covers with the hit that took him to his hundred.

Paranavitana, a left-hander who is predictable to open with Dilshan in the first Test next to England at Cardiff on May 26, was more anesthetize but struck 15 fours on his way to a hundred from 145 balls.

Thirimanne and Chandimal, who could be challenging for the number six location in the Test side, also played well and, when Middlesex went in again 51 runs ahead, Suranga Lakmal picked up a wicket when Sam Robson played on. They reach the close on 26 for one.

Earlier, Middlesex, 321 for five during the night, added 39 in seven overs before their innings was stopped up at 360 for eight after 100 overs.

There were two wickets for Chanaka Welegedara, the left-arm seamer who will almost certainly share the new ball with Dilhara Fernando in the Test attack, and a second for Ajantha Mendis, the so-called anonymity spinner, who has had a unhappy start to his English summer.

Welegedara had Dawid Malan wedged at mid-on and Tom Smith wedged behind, while Mendis had Anthony Ireland well fixed by Thilan Samaraweera on the midwicket boundary.

Mendis, who took four for 285 in two championship matches for Somerset before tumbling out of the side with a back strain, completed with two for 83 from his 20 overs.

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