Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara feels the selectors took the right decision by using him only as a batsman.

Sangakkara, who keeps regularly in one dayers, has been played as a one down batsman in Tests and the left-hander scored 104 on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan today.

Asked if he thought it was a wise move to stop him from keeping wickets in Tests, Sangakkara said, "I actually wasn't asked, but on the hindsight it was a good thing probably that I was not asked because had I been asked I would have said I would do both the jobs." "Until the middle of last year I was averaging in the 90s when I was not keeping, so statistics show that I bat better and focus better and also I'm not as tired when I'm not keeping.

"If I keep, the extra batsman plays"

"But the fact is my keeping in the Test arena will always give us an option of either playing an extra batsman, an all-rounder or another bowler and that is what created the balance in our outfit," he told a press conference.

Sangakkara feels wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who actually made his debut before him in Test cricket, was the best wicketkeeper to come out on international arena over the past eight nine years.

"I've been here three times and got runs every time, the pitch is really good and I think even history and statistics show that most amount of runs are scored on Pakistani tracks. "This one is a lot more supporting than the Karachi wicket and if the bowlers bend their backs there's something in it but the real bonus for batsmen is there's bounce and pace on the wicket so it's lot easier to score runs," he said.

He also felt that Samaraweera who is seen as a Test specialist was pushing for one-day selection.

Samaraweera has been brilliant

"I don't think he has been ruled out of one-day scenario at all I think he has been batting brilliantly over the past year and a half and the way he is going he is always pushing for a place in both forms of the game," he said.

Sangakkara said he was pretty disappointed at not getting runs in the first Test at Karachi where on a flat track Younis Khan made 313 and Sri Lankans, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, scored double hundreds. "I was disappointed after the Karachi Test match in both innings I should have gone on and scored a lot more runs but a few lapses in the concentration and not properly executing the game plans was my mistake but today it was different scenario," he said.

Sangakkara said his team was a bit surprised that Pakistan had chosen to field first after winning the toss.

Make hey while the sun shines

"The pitch was pretty good, I was a bit surprised to be put in after losing the toss because it seemed to be a good batting wicket.

"With three wicket down it was just a case of batting and batting long and I had a good partnership with Samaraweera and I think he is batting best of all our batsmen. If he keeps batting, we will see where we can get tomorrow," he added.

Sangakkara also considered Lahore as a lucky venue for him and said it was even better than the Karachi pitch where the first Test was played.