“Marsh aim for Lanka's 1st win”

Geoff Marsh

Sri Lanka coach Geoff Marsh is aiming for first Test victory in the post Muralitharan era when they face Pakistan in a Test series next month.

"I am aiming to take Sri Lanka to a new level," Marsh, the former Australian opening batsman, told reporters.

"Evidently, looking for the Test victory against Pakistan is the propose."

Sri Lanka travels to United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's offshore place, in October, to play a three match Test series.

Sri Lanka has gone during a phase of nine Test matches without a win since Muralitharan retired following the first Test against India at Galle in 2010.

Marsh said Tom Moody, the fellow Australian and a former Sri Lanka coach, and Marsh's two sons, Shaun and Mitchell, pressed him to take up the obligation.

"My boys said go along there and take up the job (coaching Sri Lanka)," Marsh, who witnessed Shaun scoring his debut Test century in Sri Lanka early on this month, said.

"Sri Lanka is in just the same position as Australia," Marsh said, adding that both nations are going through transition phase.

He said he was expecting to the challenge of "coming up against my own boys," referring to the view of Shaun and Mitchell Marsh playing for Australia when Sri Lanka tours there next year.

He said that even though his current contract was limited to two years, he would like to coach Sri Lanka to the next World Cup to be played in Australia in 2015.