CricInfo speaks to the coaches: Hemantha Devapriya and Kevin Curran

Hemantha: Yes. We saw a lot of grass on the wicket so we decided to go into the match with three seamers. We felt that the Zimabawean's were not that sharp against the short delivery and the fast moving ball so we wanted to capitalise on that and we grabbed the wickets.

Sa'adi: The batsmen were more positive in this match

Hemantha: We were ready to face their negative bowling down the leg-side. They tried that but knew we were ready for that. This time we had set targets to get our runs. Anyway it was not a bad toss to lose as we were not afraid about batting on that wicket. We thought that if we won the toss we would put them in but when they won we were not worried about it because our batsmen are capable of batting on these tracks.

Sa'adi: Are you going to make any changes for the third test match?

Hemantha: I would prefer to have the same side because they are doing well at the moment. The others have been given a chance to prove themselves and they have not done so sufficiently. All the 24 members will get a chance to show their capabilities

Charlie: Kaushalya Weereratne looks a very promising prospect for Sri Lanka

Hemantha: He is a young and upcoming all-rounder, Sri Lanka needs all-rounders at the moment so its good to a see a youngster performing at this level. He has still got a long way to go though, but he is young and he should get mature in cricket. If he does mature then he will be fantastic cricketer.

The talent is there. For example Randi Fernando and Dinusha Fernando are also capable of going up a level and playing successfully. They have to mature fast though. If they get mature they will reach the top very fast. For example Dilhara was afraid of using the slower ball early on in the match but when he got confidence he was using it. We were encouraging him to use it but he was reluctant. He should have the variations and be confident enough to us them

Charlie: What a fantastic series Avishka Gunawardena is having.

Hemantha: I have been telling him and it has gone to his brain, what a fantastic player he is when he stays at the crease. The talent is there, he just needs to mature fast.

Sa'adi: What do you think about the Zimbabwean bowling?

Hemantha: Its not that threatening, a good attack but not that threatening and our thus our batsmen capitalise

Sa'adi: It must have been a very disappointing match for you after the Kurunegala match

Kevin: It was disappointing from the very first day when we won the toss in conditions that were very favourable for us, with a lot of grass and juice on the wicket. We should have had Sri Lanka five or six wickets down on that first day but failed to get the ball in the right areas often enough. It was just poor bowling."

"When we batted the wicket had dried out, so it suited us, but we didn't bat well apart from Craig Wishart, who batted magnificently and showed a lot of application. There were too many rash shots and it was just bad cricket on our part."

"If you analyse the whole game, they outplayed us, full credit to Sri Lanka they deserved to win. If we are going to play like that the we are going struggle."

Sa'adi: Where do you go from here?

There is still one test match left and then we are into the one-day series, which will be completely different. For the next test match we are going to have a little practice now. My feeling is that what you put into the game is what you get out. We have got to work a little harder.

Unfortunately, and I don't want to make a lot of excuses, we haven't had a lot of practice on tour. There have been no nets made available to us, only once in Colombo did we have nets. For instance, today we asked the curator if there was any chance of us having a net after the game to work on some of the problems. However he is only willing to give us the ground for only an hour, which is not very reasonable considering that we were going to play until 6.30pm anyway, and they were not going to water the wicket today.

To have for an hour is something, and better than nothing, but its not easy to work on guy's weaknesses without the facilities. If you playing on a teat ground they should have facilities to have a net. I find that very disappointing. The only time the guys have a bat is in the middle which is not easy.

Sa'adi: Is the heat still a problem?

Kevin: No we have come the terms with the heat. It took us a couple of weeks to become acclimatised. We are of course used to hot whether at home so there are no excuses there.

Charlie: Are you good enough to win the next test match?

Kevin: In this one we had a perfect opportunity in this game to win the match but we didn't bowl well. Look we need to get runs on the board and then bowl in the right place. We haven't been in a situation where we have the runs on the board so far, so we are always defending. Until we get that right it is going to be difficult to win.

Charlie: How do you explain this failure to put runs on the board?

Kevin: We haven't really jelled as a unit yet and got into the situation where 3 or 4 of the top order have got runs. Its been one guy getting runs and then guys chipping in down the order so far. We need three of four of the top order to perform simultaneously.

The guys haven't played a lot of four-day cricket. Concentration does come into it. You have got to be able to concentrate for long periods of time in four-day cricket. Fitness is also important because it affects your ability to concentrate.

Charlie: Which Sri Lankan players have you been particularly impressed with?

Kevin: Well we have seen a lot of the opener, Avishka Gunawardena (wry smile), but we haven't bowled well to him. We have bowled wide and short. The guys have got to learn to get the ball in the right areas. The times we did get it the rights areas we posed a threat. Avishka is always going to give you a chance but if bowl half volleys and long hops you are going to be fetching the ball.

You know, and I have said it before, that there is a lot of depth in Sri Lankan cricket, they all seem to be able to bat right the way down and their spinners are always going to be a potent threat. I was though particularly impressed by the seam bowlers because the wicket was flat. They kept running in, giving it 100% and they got their just rewards.