Alec Stewart's Diary

We felt very disappointed to have lost the First Test. We had had a good record, with seven matches where we had gone unbeaten but the manner in which we lost was disappointing. A lot has been said and written about the umpires' decisions and the match referee, but the bottom line is that they played better than we did. There were some decisions that went against us but we are not going to harp on about those. We are not going to blame the umpires for our defeat and Nasser is right in praising Sri Lanka, because they did play some very good cricket.

We knew the wicket would turn. For the first two days it was good to bat on and after that it became harder and harder. They posted a good total but we did well to restrict them to two and a bit runs an over. It was disappointing to miss out on the follow-on total by 18 runs, because on a wicket that is doing more and more by the day it is going to be hard work saving the game. Unfortunately we were not able to do it.

I found it hard work batting. Normally after about five and a half hours at the crease I would expect to have scored close to 100 runs but here I scored 53 runs because scoring opportunities were so limited. That was due to some very good bowling, the ball turning and the field settings. You just had to wait until there was a scoring opportunity and try not to miss out. I was pleased to have spent that length of time in the middle and to be not out in the second innings, though it was to no avail as we lost.

I don't have a problem with all the appealing, the running on the wicket, etc. That is how cricket is played. When the game first started it might not have been, but that is how the game is played now. People try to stretch the rules or the laws as far as they can, but it is down to the umpires and match referee, along with the captain, to step in if they believe the players are going too far. Four of their players got fined 25% of their match fee, so the referee thought some had gone a little too far, but that is how the game is played. I never have a problem with people appealing or with not walking when they nick a catch because the umpires and the match referee are there to do a job as much as the players are.

On wickets that are turning, where you have three or four men round the bat and there are going to be a lot of bat/pad appeals and lbw shouts, you do need experience to be able to cope with that situation and I think, with hindsight, the ICC should have sent a more "experienced" neutral umpire to stand at one end. In time to come you may end up having Test matches umpired by two umpires from different countries than the two sides that are actually playing. But we cannot change the result at Galle; errors were made but we have all got to move forward.

Muralitharan has said that he thinks our batsmen should have attacked more. But I would suggest that Murali wants us to attack him more so he can get more wickets. In this game he bowled about 90 overs for seven wickets; on that wicket you would expect him to get ten or 12 wickets, so I would suggest we frustrated him at times.

This is a harder tour than Pakistan because of the weather and the wickets. It's always disappointing to lose the First Test, especially in a three-match series. But South Africa came back last year against Sri Lanka when they went one down at Galle and we have to do the same. It is important we improve going into the Second Test at Kandy.