It was a perfect match for us, says Jayawardene

Lahore, Jan 24 (IANS) Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene Saturday expressed his pleasure over his team's 'perfect' performance in a 234-run triumph over Pakistan in the ODI series decider in Lahore.

'It was a perfect match for us,' Jayawardene said after the match. 'We batted watchfully for the first few overs and cut loose later on.

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I can't say enough of the players, they deserve all the accolades,' he said.

Jayawardene showered praise on batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, who hit an unbeaten 137 to set up the big win.

'Dilshan made an excellent comeback and his experiment as an opener worked wonders. Hopefully, he will be able to continue this form.'

He also praised off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for becoming just the second bowler in ODI history to complete 500 wickets.

'Murali's done great as usual and he has a lot of good bowlers in the team around him. Hopefully he'll get to the record sooner rather than later,' referring to the fact that Murali still needs three wickets to surpass Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram as the highest wicket-taker in one-dayers.

Jayawardene said that his team is now looking forward to next month's Test series against Pakistan.

'We thank the crowd for its support, we've enjoyed touring in Pakistan and we are looking forward to out return trip for the Test series.'

Dilshan, who was named the man-of-the-match as well as the man-of-the-series, was a happy man following Sri Lanka's 2-1 series win.

'It's a special feeling. The first few overs were difficult to deal with but as the pitch eased out we were able to score more freely. It's a great feeling to have helped my team to win the series,' said Dilshan who scored 42, 76 and 137 in the three games.