Pakistan have proved that if you take your eye off the ball, and they have a good day, they're going to put you under pressure in a Test match. England certainly won't take them lightly.

Gunasekara, like most 'Ceylon' cricketers, represented an era which saw the island nation's cricketing foundations only getting stronger.

The Indian batting line-up is considered to be the most lustrous in the game today, but going by events over the past couple of years Sri Lanka's batting too seems to be almost as strong.

The Indian bowling line up has almost always been regarded as the weak link. In the past it failed in matches abroad, but of late the bowlers have failed to deliver at home too.

We'll probably see more glimpses of the magical spinner - in the IPL perhaps and, who knows, perhaps even in the ODI World Cup of 2011.

So what can India do to alter things in the second Test at Colombo? They will no doubt be encouraged by the fact that they have come back to win the second Test after losing the first on both their previous visits.

However the series with Australia ends, England have to be careful not to underestimate Pakistan when their turn to play them comes around at Trent Bridge at the end of the month.

If you look at his attributes, Afridi has always been a one-day cricketer for me. He's never been prolific at Test level.

Playing according to the needs of the team is what is paramount but Afridi perhaps is unable to change gears. This is where Afridi does not compare with others of his ilk like Sehwag, Gilchrist or Jayasuriya.

How many times in the history of Test cricket could a team have had the first four boasting of an average of fifty plus and a fifth who has an average in the mid 40s?