"I’m delighted with this double hundred because it’s my first in Test cricket," said Thilan Samaraweera.

"I had one at first-class level, but I didn’t have one in Test cricket.

"Mahela helped me a lot during my stay at the crease. We talked to each other all the time and that helped us concentrate."

"It’s easy batting with Mahela because once he gets a hundred he usually goes on to get a big one," Samaraweera said.

"With him around, you don’t have to be bothered about the other end. You can just go ahead and play your shots.

"I’ve played school cricket with him and we both play for the SSC so I really enjoy batting with him."

"We had a long chat after the warm-up game on how to bowl on these flat pitches," he said.

"I thought we stuck to our task today and bowled really well. We conceded just 44 runs in 22 overs and got that one wicket as well.

"If we continue to bowl like this tomorrow, it should be a good day for us."