27 October 2004	Wednesday	12 Ramazan 1425

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KARACHI, Oct 26: Sri Lankan coach, John Dyson, claimed on Tuesday that his team had started playing with the same determination and grittiness as the current world champions.

Talking to reporters during Sri Lanka's first practice session ahead of Thursday's second and final Test against Pakistan at the National Stadium, Dyson remarked that playing against Australia had greatly helped Sri Lanka in improving their game.

"Even though we lost to Australia thrice at home earlier this year, it a great learning experience for the guys. We have learned to come good in tough situations.

"Coming back into the game from being nine for three on the first morning takes a lot of courage," the 50-year-old said while referring to Sri Lanka's fightback in the Faisalabad Test.

"What pleased me most was the manner in which the boys hung in there and fought it out. The way (Thilan) Samaraweera batted on that opening day inspired the rest of the team to greater things.

"Sanath Jayasuriya then played a fantastic innings, the sort of innings one expects from a champion batsman. And Sanath is a champion performer in anybody's book."

Dyson, who played in 30 Tests and 29 One-day Internationals for his native country Australia in the late 1970s and 1980s, stressed the need to get closer to world champions by matching their standards.

"Australia are ranked the top side in both forms of cricket. There is enough incentive for the boys to show that they are capable of matching them.

"Since Australians are the benchmark for the rest of us, there is a good reason to play our best! "We had a good tour of Australia back in July. After losing the first Test, we made a great comeback in the second and put Australia under pressure for a change.

The Australian, who has completed one year as coach of the Sri Lankan side last month, hoped that the tourists would do their best to finish the tour on a high note."

"We have identified that winning away from home is very important for us to raise our profile as an all-round cricketing nation. We must ensure that we play well in England, Australia and South Africa also. That is the only way to gain respect."