da bet vitoria： Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore has warned his players not to take theirrecent Test record in Galle for granted as they prepare to take on WestIndies in the first ever three-Test series against the two sides on Tuesday
Charlie Austin12-Nov-2001Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore has warned his players not to take theirrecent Test record in Galle for granted as they prepare to take on WestIndies in the first ever three-Test series against the two sides on Tuesday.Sri Lanka have won four of the six Tests to be played in the coastal city ofGalle. Three of those were won by an innings and the last game against Indiaearlier this year was won by ten wickets.”We have got a good record, but that is no guarantee for this game,” saidWhatmore. “We have to be very careful about any kind of reasoning thatsuggests we will do well because we have done so historically.””Our record in Galle has been as good for us, as our record in Kandy hasbeen bad. We are confident we can reverse that trend there so, by the sometoken, the opposition has a chance of being successful here.””Remember, we saw Pakistan come here last year with a side packed full offast bowlers and they steamrolled us. You win matches because you play well,so that is what we are focusing on.”The curator, Jayanda Warnaweera, a former left-arm spinner, takes greatpride in his pitches, which tend to suit the spinners, and also hispredictions, which invariably point to an early finish. This time hebelieves his dry, brown wicket will produce a finish early on day five.The surface, which seems sure to crumble after the first 2-3 days,recommends a spin-based attack. Whatmore is reluctant to confirm the SriLankan line-up, saying: “We have been developing our fast bowlers and it’snot a foregone conclusion that that we will go with just two fast bowlers.”He admits, though, that: “Throughout Sri Lankan cricket history we have donewell at home because we have been able to keep the pressure on with ourspinners.””In this match we have potentially three frontline spinners, plus a coupleof spinning all-rounders. We have a good mix and choice from which to pickthe final side.”In fact, in recent times, Sri Lanka’s record at home has been poor. Theirwin against India was the first time in 23 months that they had won a Testseries in Sri Lanka.”Certainly, at home, there is the expectation that the team will do well andthat in itself can create pressure on the players,” he reasoned.Sri Lanka and West Indies have only played three-Tests against each other.The last game was way back in 1997, when Sri Lanka lost 1-0 in theCaribbean.”It’s been a long time since we played,” he said. “We are expecting a toughfight, as the West Indies have been showing signs that they are coming outof a bit of a slump. They have match winners and we will to be on guardright from day one.”However, the last four to six months have been pretty good: we have won aTest series against India, a triangular series in Colombo and I thought thatthe team functioned well in Sharjah.”Sri Lanka are going straight into the series after a one-day tournament withno first class cricket under their belts since the Bangladesh Test inSeptember.”It would have been nice to get the batsmen a chance to bat in the longergame, but in these times you cannot expect the perfect preparation all thetime,” said Whatmore. “The players are accustomed to this fact with thecurrent international cricket schedule. You have to put up with this. It’snot the best, but neither is it for other countries.”