Smiling Sri Lankans seek series win

Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne said on Wednesday he wanted his players to continue playing with a smile on their faces as they seek to become the first Asian team to win a Test series in South Africa.

Sri Lanka go into the second Test at St George's Park on Thursday with an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the two-match series after their sensational, Kusal Perera-inspired one-wicket win in the first Test in Port Elizabeth.

"We came here to win matches," said Karunaratne, who was handed the captaincy after Dinesh Chandimal was axed after losing a series in Australia last month.

"I just want to make sure the boys give their maximum each day." Karunaratne said enjoyment was a key factor.

"We have to keep our heads clear and play positively," he said.

"We want to enjoy ourselves. You will see with our boys when they are playing they are smiling and cheering each other. If you are enjoying yourself you will play well."
"The disappointing thing with a short series is that you only play two matches so for us it is making sure we square up the series."
"It looks pretty similar to what we played on against Australia and Sri Lanka in our last two Test matches. Hopefully there will be some assistance for our seamers. We are not expecting a lot of pace and bounce so we're just hoping there will be decent carry."