COLOMBO, 17 December 2003 — England go into the third and deciding Test in buoyant mood despite having been dominated by their Sri Lankan opponents in the first two matches.

The home team, meanwhile, know they will have to control their sense of frustration and injustice after failing to turn that superiority into a victory during a tense and ill-tempered series.

The teams’ moods have been reflected in the words of their coaches.

“Having drawn two now, the pressure they must be under for not winning one of those games makes us feel pretty confident. We definitely feel we have momentum,” England’s Duncan Fletcher told reporters yesterday. “If you listened to the guys talking on the bus on the way down you sensed they feel this is our series, they have a determined manner and are quite bullish about the whole thing.” A combative England side were one wicket away from defeat in the first Test in Galle but clung on as one lbw decision after another went in their favor.

In Kandy they batted out 140 overs, losing seven wickets, to draw again despite the close attentions of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and a tight net of brilliant and excitable close fielders. Michael Vaughan’s side have also gained in confidence, knowing they have survived despite the considerable disadvantage of losing both tosses on pitches designed for the home spinners.

Vaughan, who led from the front with a painstaking seven-hour century in the second Test, reiterated his belief that Sri Lanka are susceptible to pressure.

“We could not put enough pressure on them (in Kandy) because we let them score too many runs, but if we can hang in there until day four or five we know they are a team that can fold,” Vaughan told reporters.

Pakistan Draw Tour Match Against Auckland

Pakistan batted out a tame draw on the third and final day of the tour match against Auckland yesterday.

The tourists, who were 96 runs ahead on first innings, finished on 201 for five in their second innings after bowling Auckland out for 222 earlier in the day.

Yousuf Youhanna, who was out for a duck in the first innings, made amends with 67 in the second. But he was dropped by wicketkeeper Reece Young before he had scored and had another life on 22 when Mark Richardson dropped him at mid-wicket.

Skipper Inzamam ul-Haq, who was run out for 18 in the first innings, scored an unbeaten 62 second time round.