Samaraweera motivated by previous setbacks by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

---

Player:	TT Samaraweera
Event:	New Zealand in Sri Lanka 2009

---

DateLine: 20th August 2009

 

Sri Lankan middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera has revealed that his inability to score big runs in the previous series against Pakistan motivated him to get a big hundred at the start of the series against New Zealand.

 

Samaraweera scored 159 on the second day, his tenth Test hundred and first in Galle.

 

"I got two 30s at Galle against Pakistan and I couldn't get runs at the P Sara Stadium," Samaraweera said. "These failures made me determined to score runs in the present series.

 

"Since the Lahore shootout, I couldn't get my batting going in the Pakistan series. I think I found my form in the last Test at the SSC where I scored 73. Today was a happy moment for me to get to a hundred."

 

Samaraweera, who has been in outstanding form over the past 18 months, said that his main job since his return to the Test team (after being dropped in 2006) was to ease the pressure off the two experienced batsmen, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

 

"Both are under big pressure batting in the middle order. The last 18 months [Tillakaratne] Dilshan and I have done that really well."