'Pakistan will be more challenging than Australia', feels Dimuth Karunaratne

On Monday (July 11), Sri Lanka outsmarted Australia by an innings and 39-run in the second Test match at Galle to level the two-match series 1-1. Dinesh Chandimal and debutant Prabhat Jayasuriya were the chief architects of Australia's annihilation.  

While Chandimal launched an assault on the Australian bowlers, hitting them some gigantic sixes to score his maiden double century (206) and set up a victory for his side, Prabhat Jayasuriya took a 12-wicket haul to bundle out the visitors for 151 in the final session of day four.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne opened up on Chandimal's double ton in their series-levelling Test win over Australia and termed it a good sign ahead of a series against Pakistan. 

"I told Chandi to come up with a big knock. Last few years, he was not very successful," Karunaratne said while lauding Chandimal. 

"When your senior player gives a knock like that, as captain, it makes things easy for me. Angelo (Mathews) can fail, I can fail, but I know that someone will fire for us. That's a good sign for the series ahead," he added. 

Sri Lanka's next assignment is with Pakistan, where the two sides will lock horns in two-Test matches. Skipper Karunaratne believes the Babar Azam-led side will pose a more significant challenge to the hosts than Australia due to the Asian team's excellent ability to handle spin.

"Pakistan is a strong side, a brilliant team. I think it will be more challenging than in Australia. They play spin well," the Sri Lankan skipper said. 

The Babar Azam-led side is currently in the Island nation. They will play a three-day warm-up game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI before heading into their first Test match against Sri Lanka, which will commence on July 16 in Galle. The last time Pakistan visited the island nation in 2015, they won the Test series 2-1.