Sri Lankan captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, has claimed that victory in the Test match against South Africa at Durban is a historic one for Sri Lanka cricket and the captain claims that if his team plays its natural game, it can beat any major team of the world.
The Islanders have faced a decline in performance since the retirement of the legendary off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan and veteran pacer Chaminda Vaas. Sri Lanka was completely outplayed in the recent series against Pakistan, and as a result, they were the underdogs against the Proteas.
History tells us that sub-continent teams usually struggle on South Africa's bouncy pitches. However, this time, the islanders, with great determination and bravery changed the course of history by beating the Proteas in the second match of the series. The series is now level at 1-1 and the last match will played at Cape Town from January 3 onwards.
Dilshan said that he always had confidence in his boys. The Sri Lankan skipper is ecstatic after the victory and wants to fully enjoy it before preparing for the decisive encounter of the series.
The Sri Lankan captain said, "I said before the game that if we can play our brand of cricket we can beat any team. We beat one of the best teams in the world. It's a fantastic feeling and great for the Sri Lankan fans. I'm really proud of my team. Definitely it is one of the great wins of Sri Lankan cricket."
Quite surprisingly, the victory at Durban is Sri Lanka’s first Test win in South Africa.
On the other side of the coin, the South African captain, Graeme Smith, admitted that his team was totally outclassed by Sri Lanka and the Proteas failed to adjust to the conditions in Durban.
"It was a little bit slower. Reverse swing and spin played a role and they handled the surface better than us throughout the game. We were outplayed from the start. We just didn't get it together at all during the game", said Smith.
