'We need to annoy the opposition' - Kumar Sangakkara

And then there's Murali. It means a lot to everyone in Sri Lanka that Murali is going to Australia and trying to break the record there. I think he treated the Australian spectators to a wonderful spell of bowling in the Super Series Test there in 2005. Murali knows his stats to the last detail and he'll know his two other Tests in Australia have produced only three wickets. He'll be devising plans and strategies to get wickets this time.

There's been a debate raging about the last-minute inclusion of Marvan Atapattu, but it's a tremendous boost for the team. He's one of the best players we've produced in Sri Lanka. Everyone speaks of him being technically correct and beautiful to watch, but he's also a tough character. Marvan and Sanath [Jayasuriya] are the only two of the current team to have scored hundreds in Australia, and their store of experience will be vital for all of us. When Marvan got a hundred in Cairns last time, we ended up playing around him and putting up 455.

read more | digg story