Deteriorating wicket will be a challenge – Lakmal
Having taken four of the last five New Zealand wickets yesterday Suranga Lakmal derailed the New Zealand charge to a 300-plus total but it is with the bat that the fast bowler could make the more important contribution when the first Test resumes in Galle today.
When he returns to the crease today, the target, Lakmal said, will be to first match the New Zealand total, though the deteriorating Galle wicket will be as much a challenge as the Kiwi bowlers.
“[Dickwella and I] will see that we reach their total first, and then think beyond that. After us, only the bowlers are left, so we need to get as many runs as possible,” Lakmal said.
“They’ll [probably] take the new ball tomorrow morning. It’s a challenge for us to face the new ball. If we can survive the first 10 overs, then it’s easy to go from there.”
Lakmal, with his four-wicket haul, has now moved to 141 Test scalps, with only Chaminda Vaas ahead of him in terms of the country’s leading wicket takers among fast bowlers.
It’s a place in history that Lakmal cherishes though he hopes to end his career with a significantly higher number.
“I am really happy about that [the four wickets]. I did lot of hard work. I am second only to Vaas among the fast bowlers. My aim is to get 200 to 250 wickets,” he said.
“So many people have told me that I can (bat) but I don’t apply myself to it. During the last one and half years, I was working with the Batting Coach and now I know I can do something better to the team with the bat,” Lakmal added. (SMD)