Colombo – Kumar Sangakkara hopes to complete a 3-0 sweep against Pakistan in his first Test series as Sri Lanka captain, despite admitting his team had played ‘patchy’ cricket so far.

“We have certainly not been at our best in this series,” Sangakkara told reporters ahead of the third and final Test starting at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo today.

“It is always good to aim for a sweep, but you can’t achieve that without playing your best cricket. We have been patchy, and so has Pakistan.”

Sri Lanka took a decisive 2-0 lead in the series despite failing to hit the 300-run mark in two Tests against a Pakistani attack lacking experience.

“The batting has to improve,” said Sangakkara. “We have to buckle down and bat positively.”

If Sri Lanka do succeed and win their first ever home series against Pakistan, it would be due mainly to three inexplicable batting collapses by the tourists in four innings.

Pakistan dominated the initial three days of the first Test in Galle, only to falter on the fourth morning when, needing 97 to win with eight wickets in hand, they managed to lose the match by 50 runs.

In the second Test at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, Pakistan crashed to a timid 90 in the first innings and then lost nine wickets for 35 runs in the second innings after coasting on 285-1 at one stage.