Sri Lanka v Pakistan 3rd Test at Colombo, July 20-24

Colombo: Kumar Sangakkara hopes to complete a three-nil sweep against Pakistan in his first Test series as Sri Lanka captain despite admitting his team had played "patchy" cricket so far.

"We have certainly not been at our best in this series," Sangakkara told reporters ahead of the third and final Test starting at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Monday.

"It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can't achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan."

Sri Lanka took a decisive two-nil lead in the series despite failing to hit the 300-run mark in two Tests against a Pakistani attack lacking experience.

"The batting has to improve," said Sangakkara. "We have to buckle down and bat positively."

If Sri Lanka do succeed and win their first ever home series against Pakistan, it would be due mainly to three inexplicable batting collapses by the tourists in four innings.

Pakistan dominated the initial three days of the first Test in Galle, only to falter on the fourth morning when, needing 97 to win with eight wickets in hand, they managed to lose the match by 50 runs.

Team news

Sri Lanka: Nuwan Kulasekara quietly Kulasekara has made this a defining series of his career. In Murali's absence, Vaas' dropping, and Mendis' ineffectiveness, Kulasekara has been a true leader of the attack, taking three four-fors already.

Murali and Prasanna Jayawardene are still out of the squad, which means Tillakaratne Dilshan will continue his wicketkeeping duties. Malinda Warnapura gets another go at the top.

Squad (from):  Thilan Thushara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Suranga Lakmal, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Kaushal Silva, Dammika Prasad, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas.

Pakistan: Younis has spoken again and again about the need of not running the axe over this team. The middle order, though, has big questions to answer, and this could be a last chance for some of them.

Squad (from): Shoaib Malik, Shahzaib Hasan, Salman Butt, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Yousuf, Mohammad Aamer, Misbah-ul-Haq, Khurram Manzoor, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rauf, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Younis Khan

Pitch and conditions
The SSC pitch has taken some rain over the last few days, and if it reacts to moisture like the pitch at Galle did, we could be in for a short match.

Stats and trivia

• There has never been a clean-sweep of a three-match Pakistan-Sri Lanka series. In 1994 Pakistan won a two-match series 2-0 in the only clean-sweep in their contests.
• In his first three matches in Test cricket, Ajnatha Mendis took 26 wickets. In the next five he has taken 13.
• Sri Lanka have won five of their last seven Tests at the SSC, drawing the other two.

Match facts
Monday July 20 - Friday 24, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)

Highlights of the match