Sri Lanka will have to play at their best when they meet England in their 2011 World Cup quarter-final game under lights at the R. Premadasa Stadium starting at 2.30 p.m today.
Sri Lanka will do well to guard against complacency. Many a team has rested on their laurels, taken it easy and suffered. A win and a win at all cost is what Sri Lanka must look for.
At the time of writing the weather has suddenly turned bad and it will be everyone’s wish that the rains won’t take their turn and play the role of spoil sport.
Firstly to the wicket and we hope that curator Anura Polonowita would have got the message when skipper Kumar Sangakkara mentioned at the media briefing before the clash against New Zealand in Mumbai, that the Indian wickets are better than ones existing in Sri Lanka.
Batting cleverly
And Sangakkara justified his thinking by batting cleverly to score his first three figure score in World Cup cricket and lead his team to victory against the Kiwis and a quarter-final slot.
Polonowita will have to show more purpose and get up a wicket that Sangakkara likes. Not to do so and if the Lankans fail to deliver, Polonowita will be the whipping boy.
Once again the winning of the toss and batting first will be very important. Putting up a formidable score will be to put the pressure on the side chasing and luring them into mistakes which could prove fatal. Sri Lanka will have everything in their favor playing at home.
Read moreThey must perform at peak and nothing short of victory would suffice. The Lankans have been in the game long enough and we need not tell them that excuses however good are unacceptable once in the big league.
Capabilities
The Lankans showed their capabilities by outplaying the Kiwis. They must give continuity to that form and play from out of their skins if they hope to skin the British lions.
The good news coming from the Sri Lanka camp is that Muttiah Muralitheran is fit to take the field. He suffered a hamstring injury in the previous game and it retarded his movements somewhat. But this being his final World Cup he did not want to miss out but ignored the injury and answered the call and handling a slippery ball with great dexterity lured the Kiwi batsmen to their demise with a telling spell.
It is a must that Muralitheran be on the park in this sudden death game because he is one bowler who the England batsmen fear.
Although many of the England batmen have faced him in the county scene they have still not been able to master him and play him with any degree of confidence.
Among the runs
While the Lanka first four batsmen have been among the runs, the middle order, especially Chamara Silva and Thilan Samaraweea have been woefully short of runs and big runs at that.
The Lankan think tanks will have to rethink and do a bit of tinkering by sending in Angelo Mathews ahead of Silva and Samaraweera. Mathews has many a time batted without any support.
Once again openers Upul Tharanga, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena will have to get their run making act going. Failure could mean danger.
Of the bowlers Lasith Malinga will have to find form. But Sangakkara will rely on his spinners to undo the English batting. It would not be a bad idea to go in spin heavy and open the attack with a spinner.
No easy beats
Led by Andrew Strauss, England will not be easy beats. They have still not engraved their names on the World Cup since its inception and are now baying for blood.
England at the moment seem a bit jaded having been on the park for far too long.
They played a five Test Ashes series, seven one-dayers and now a strenuous World Cup campaign.
But being professionals they know how to adjust. Their batting is strong with skipper Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior to give them a sound opening. Strauss especially can make big score unless dismissed early.
Jonothan Trott has been in spanking form and can take any attack to the cleaners with his energetic stroke play. Following him will be Ian Bell who has played here before and showed what he s capable of. He is a good player of spin.
Paul Collingwood, Eion Morgan, Luke Wright and Greame Swann are all punishing batsmen if allowed to cut loose. Morgan especially is a hard hitting batsman and is in for a big score. James Anderson will spearhead the Lions attack and is a clever mover of the ball both ways. England will miss Stuart Broad. But Tim Bresnan will not be easy to score of.
The spin will be in the capable hands of Swann. Michael Yardy the left arm spinner has quit the World Cup suffering from depression..
This do or die battle will be watched by a full house, with the papare, papare bands making big noise and if Sri Lanka fails to win this it would be sad. The teams will be announced only after the captains have a look at the wicket.
Daily News - Elmo RODRIGOPULLE
