Sri Lankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga has vowed to go after the Australian batsmen in their two-Test series getting underway here next Thursday. Malinga is to make his first tour appearance in the three-day match against Queensland at Allan Border Field starting here Friday.
The Australians named four fast bowlers in their 13-man Test squad on Thursday but Malinga believes he can generate more pace than he did on Sri Lanka's last tour here in 2004. "I have more pace now than last time we played here. I think maybe I can get around 140 (kilometres per hour) (87 miles per hour) now - I want more pace," Malinga said.
"All fast bowlers like to do the bouncer and everything. I am the same. We are going to be very attacking." Captain Mahela Jayawardene promised his side would give as good as they got from Australia this summer.
Jayawardene said Sri Lanka were only interested in playing with controlled aggression against Australia, especially in light of incidents during Australia's one-day series in India earlier this month. Indian fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth clashed with Australian batsmen and was criticised in the local media for his over-the-top intimidation and excessive appealing.
"That's important, that you don't lose your cool. It's the seniors' responsibility to guide the guys through periods in difficult situations," Jayawardene said. "You need to be aggressive but you should not go overboard.
"When you lose your composure... that's when they (Australia) come back at you very strongly." Jayawardene warned of a new and improved Malinga for the Australian tour. "He's learned a lot in the last three years since he has been here," he said.
"He has learned to adjust to different conditions and batsmen. "Now he's got the ability to control his aggression, which is a good thing.
"He (Malinga) is one of our attacking options (but) we don't want to put a lot of pressure on the young guys," he said. Jayawardene confirmed wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara, suffering from a hamstring injury, is a major doubt for the first Test.
"With hamstring injuries you don't want to rush them back," he said. "He will probably be out of the first Test match. "It's a pretty big (blow). He's one of our top performers over the last two or three years but it gives an opportunity to someone else." Sangakkara suffered the injury in Sri Lanka's tour opener against the Cricket Australia Chairman's XI in Adelaide.