When the Pakistanis look back at the recently completed series against Sri Lanka, they will see it as one of missed opportunities. In each Test, there were moments where they could and should have seized the moment and coach Intikhab Alam was rueful of his sides missed opportunities.

"Without wanting to take credit away from the Sri Lankans, who played very well, we lost this series rather than the Sri Lankans won it. In Galle we batted irresponsibly and put undue pressure on ourselves and never really recovered from that. So many times the matches were in balance, but our lack of experience cost us dear and we blew opportunity after opportunity."

By selecting three debutant bowlers for the first Test at Galle and ignoring the one bowler with pedigree - Danish Kaneria, it seems foolish to blame lack of experience when the experienced man was left on the bench. Pakistan lost the series through their careless batting and outside of the openers there is no lack of experience there.

Alam was adamant though that his men had done a good job; "For the past 30 years we have been blessed with some outstanding bowling sides, but I feel strongly that the potential is there for this unit. Success breeds success and once we start to win some games, confidence will grow and we will see this attack in its true light."

On a pitch that got flatter by the minute on the last day, too much was heaped on the shoulders of Kaneria, with the Pakistan opening bowlers Umar Gul and Mohammed Aamer looking listless and a shadow of the combination that caused havoc in the World T-20 in England.

Captain Younus Khan was unsurprised by the flatness of the fifth day wicket, but disappointed not to have won after being in such a strong position at stumps on day four.

"We know wickets in this part of the world go dead, but I cannot disguise my disappointment at not being able to force a victory. If we had got them six down there would have been a chink of light, but it was not too be and the Sri Lankan boys batted superbly today."