"Gave my everything towards that goal and have some success now" - Prabath Jayasuriya opens up on his early day struggles
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya continued his stunning bowling form, helping Sri Lanka secure a comprehensive 246-run victory over Pakistan at Galle on Thursday (July 28) to level the two-match Test series 1-1.
Speaking after the Test, Jayasuriya highlighted how he had to struggle a lot to be able to play for his national side.
He revealed that he had opportunities to play outside of Sri Lanka. However, he declined those offers because of his goal of representing his country.
Prabath Jayasuriya explained:
"It was tough. I had financial problems as well. I had to balance all that and didn't want to put pressure on my family either. I had opportunities to play outside the country, but my motivation was to play for my country and play Tests. I gave my everything towards that goal and have some success now."
Jayasuriya picked up eight wickets in the second Test against Pakistan. He spoke about how he uses the straighter one to his advantage on turning tracks.
The 30-year-old pointed out that batters tend to play for spin on such pitches. He opined that the straighter one would become a big weapon for spin bowlers on such surfaces.
"I've been taking wickets from school level with my arm ball. On any pitch that turns, you can often get a lot of wickets with the ball that's hitting the stumps. The batter is looking for the one that turns, and you've got a big opportunity to get him with the straighter one.
"You can't bowl it all the time. You'll get more out of the straight one if you show the batter how much it spins first, and put that doubt in their minds. Then you can use the straight one."
The architect of Sri Lanka's 246-run win - Prabath Jayasuriya
In just six Test innings, he has accumulated 29 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket match-haul. #SLvPAK https://t.co/1hHl40xNCz
The Sri Lankan spinner has had a dream start to his Test career. With 29 wickets to his name, he has now equalled the record for the second-most wickets after three Tests.
The left-armer is also now the joint-highest wicket-taker in the longer format for the calendar year.
"He probably figured that it was going to turn away but it didn't" - Prabath Jayasuriya on how he plotted Mohammad Rizwan's dismissal
Prabath Jayasuriya pointed out that while he usually bowls wide of the crease, he delivered the ball from closer to the stumps to Mohammad Rizwan.
He suggested that the Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter assumed that the ball would turn, but was ultimately undone due to the lack of spin.
"With that Rizwan delivery I came close to the wicket to bowl it. Usually I have been bowling wide of the crease. When I pitched it wide of him, he probably figured that it was going to turn away but it didn't."
Sri Lanka win the second Test by 246 runs to square the series 1-1 🏏
#SLvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen https://t.co/U3zMgOvyNq
The hosts had set a massive target of 508 for Pakistan to chase in the final innings of the clash. However, the visitors were bundled out for 261, thus suffering a 246-run loss.
Skipper Babar Azam was the lone warrior for his side with a gutsy knock of 81.