Quality cricket marks compelling series

On the eve of the Galle Test, Misbah-ul-Haq said Pakistan had arrived on the island having worked out "an answer for Rangana Herath." This was greeted with mild bemusement in Sri Lanka. For years, visiting captains have claimed to have viewed enough footage, or pored over enough statistics, or hired the best witch doctors, to neutralise Sri Lanka's top spinner. For years, at the end of these series, that spinner would be picking his teeth with the bones of his opponents, legs crossed, in a hammock.

But as the match in Galle wound into its third and fourth days, Pakistan were slinking down the track to play Herath, or folding in the crease to sweep him. Herath, who has delayed surgery on both legs for so long his knees must resemble the cheese he legendarily loves, seemed to be pivoting more gingerly than usual in his delivery stride, and consequently, getting less bite out of a Galle pitch that has historically been kind.

It was here, and in the second innings at the P Sara Oval, that Pakistan laid the foundation for their victory in Pallekele. On the fourth afternoon of the third Test Angelo Mathews discovered that even if he could do without Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, it may be even tougher to fit the Herath-sized hole in his team.

Pakistan, meanwhile, had Yasir Shah's melted velvet action, and his laser-level control. Sri Lanka's batsmen have spoken of his accuracy in reverent tones, like they were quoting holy scripture. Yasir, the omniscient, so often appeared to know when a batsman would venture down the track, so he would pull the the length back, or slip in a quicker ball. Three Sri Lanka batsmen were stumped off his bowling in that fourth innings in Galle. On day one at Pallekele, two were caught trying to come down and lift him over mid-off or mid-on.

So complete was his hold over Sri Lanka this series, that even when the tracks offered meagre turn, batsmen still tied themselves in knots playing him. Men who spoke bullishly about rotating the strike against him, or using their feet to put him off his length, went to the middle and promptly forgot all that.

Some days batsmen committed to more bad lines than a Twilight film. Other times, they were so befuddled, it seemed like Yasir was bowling sudokus. Just as telling as his wicket tally of 24, is Yasir's economy rate of 2.62. In the end, Sri Lanka only prospered against him by tiring him out on day three in Pallekele - a ploy that may not have worked had Yasir not already bowled close to 150 overs in the series, thanks in part to Wahab Riaz's injury on the first day of the second Test.

Sri Lanka's top wicket-taker, and second overall behind Yasir, was Dhammika Prasad, with 14 scalps. That all three matches comfortably produced a result despite the failure of the hosts' great spin threat, is testament to the hard work and dedication of either team's top cardboard top orders.

Also, the curators deserve a little praise. Even Galle humoured the seam bowlers, before descending into its filthy dustbowl mood for the two final days. P Sara Oval did not discriminate, giving bounce and movement to all who bowled upon it. Pallekele was that unicorn of Asian pitches, where both teams strapped three seamers to the plow. Mathews said the surface had flattened a bit by the time Shan Masood and Younis Khan broke his attack on it, but it was gamely given to seam and spin throughout the match.

Let's also not forget these results were obtained despite torrential rains having fallen on most days of the series. For that, the groundstaff deserve special mention. The team at Pallekele was so efficient and so-well coordinated, you almost looked forward to the rain breaks. Their running on and peeling off of covers like watching a North Korean military show.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are not scheduled to play each other in Tests for some years. More's the pity. Unlike the Sri Lanka-India ties of yore, these series have consistently bred flavourful cricket and compelling stories, without the behavioural hysterics that seem to litter Big Three cricket. Many will remember Younis' sublime 171 to complete this famous chase. But not long after he took his pads off, he was sitting in dugout with Kaushal Silva, the opener lapping up wisdom at the feet of the old man.

But, for all of Younis' heroics, this was another man's series. In the three-day rest before ODI preparation begins, it will be Yasir picking his teeth with the bones of his opponents, legs crossed, in a hammock.