Online edition of Daily News

The victorious Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya described his team's performance at the Morocco Cup triangular tournament as a magnificent team effort where every member of the team contributed towards their success.

Skipper Jayasuriya who won both the man of the match award and the man of the series award was happy with his own form where he blasted three hundred runs in five outings. He said that the conditions were ideal for batting and took full advantage of the opportunities which helped Sri Lanka beat South Africa in the final.

Jayasuriya said that it was at the backdrop of some uncertainty that they went for this tournament after a disappointing tour of England where they lost the Test series and also failed to reach the final of the NatWest Trophy triangular tournament. But things changed as the tournament progressed and eventually the entire team reached their climax at the time of the final.

Jayasuriya said that the services of Cricket Advisor Duleep Mendis has been of great importance towards the success of the side where the fielding picked up tremendously throughout the tournament. Mendis in fact was associated with the Sri Lankan team during the 1999 World Cup too and was appointed as Cricket Advisor recently.

Jayasuriya added that they have now found the right combination to play the limited overs game with a balanced bowling attack and a strong batting line up. He said that they experimented some new things during the Morocco Cup series and everything clicked well at the correct time.

One notable aspect was the introduction of ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan during the latter stages of the innings which was quite effective in this tournament.

Muralitharan is usually introduced into the attack soon after the completion of the first fifteen overs of the game. But in this tournament he was brought into the attack even after the completion of the 25 overs which made things more difficult to the opposition. Jayasuriya said that the two new fast bowlers Pulasthi Gunaratne and Dilhara Fernando bowled splendidly even under pressure and claimed wickets at vital stages of the innings.

Jayasuriya said that Dilhara Fernando probably bowled the best slow ball he has ever seen and that he changed variation on different occasions to mesmerise the batsmen. He said that Pulasthi Gunaratne was equal to the task and performed extremely well despite his limited international experience in the game. Gunaratne proved that he is a quality bowler who has played a lot of domestic cricket and having performed in England he really gave Sri Lanka an early breakthrough added Jayasuriya.

The Sri Lankan skipper was also pleased with the performance of veteran batsman Aravinda de Silva.

Jayasuriya said that with Aravinda de Silva batting in the middle order it has given him a great amount of confidence and stability to the side. He added that there will be four days of rest for the side and they would again start their training sessions in preparations for the forthcoming important ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's physiotherapist Alex Kountouri said that skipper Sanath Jayasuriya has a 50-50 chance of playing in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament against Pakistan on September 12.

The Sri Lankan skipper dislocated his shoulder while fielding in the Morocco Cup triangular tournament final against South Africa on Wednesday. Kountouri said that the injury is not similar to the one that Muttiah Muralitharan experienced in Sharjah and because of that there is a better chance of Jayasuriya playing in the Champions trophy tournament.

Jayasuriya was scheduled to have a scan yesterday and it would reveal more about his injury. Kountouri said that fortunately Jayasuriya was able to put it back in soon after he dislocated his shoulder and has a great chance of recovering within six to 12 weeks. When asked whether Jayasuriya would need overseas treatment Kountouri said that all depends on the seriousness of his injury.

Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore said that his team is now beginning to show its true potential after winning the Morocco Cup triangular tournament in Tangiers.

Whatmore said that the tournament was a highly competitive one where both Pakistan and South Africa were packed with some top players. He said that the team lost the opening match to Pakistan but bounced back remarkably to win the remaining games and earn a prize money of US dollars 120,000.

Whatmore said that it gave him great satisfaction in defeating South Africa thrice in successive outings which he described as a fantastic effort from the team.

The success in Morocco is a real morale booster for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament where Sri Lanka would now be considered as favourites to win the title.

Whatmore said that with Jayasuriya coming to his own with the bat the team is now displaying the form which they exhibited during the successful 1999 World Cup campaign. He added that this success came at the correct time after the Lankans had failed to make an impact in their previous tour of England.

The manager of the Sri Lankan team Ajith Jayasekera said that success at the Morocco Cup triangular tournament was a great boost to the team ahead of the important ICC Champions Trophy tournament.

Jayasekera said that even though the team lost their opening fixture he was quite confident that they would rise again and they did exactly that at the end.

He added that beating Pakistan and South Africa was a tough task but the Sri Lankan team proved their all round capabilities with Sanath Jayasuriya leading from the front. The Sri Lankan manager said that the wicket in Tangiers was much better than in Sharjah but somewhat on the slow side and that suited his bowlers who exploited the conditions quite effectively. He also said that the grounds are very much similar to the Asgiriya Stadium and the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium where there is lot of grass on the outfield.

He was happy with the organising too where the tournament was held for the first time in that part of the World. Jayasekera said that the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) have done a marvellous job in bringing the game to Morocco even though the spectator turn out was quite low.

Jayasekera said that the team did not mind with the fewer number of spectators coming to the stadium because the Sri Lankan team was mainly focused on the game and the competition.

Jayasekera said that travelling to this part of the World is no doubt a tough one because their journey lasted for nearly 32 hours.

But again he was not concerned very much about the matter because the Pakistanis had to spend almost 36 hours for their journey and South Africans despite been in the same region were compelled to travel six hours by a coach.

Congrats from PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has sent the following message to the Sri Lankan cricket team congratulating them on their outstanding achievement in Morocco.

Please accept our warmest congratulations on your superlative performance in Morocco. It was not only a victory over two powerful adversaries - South Africa and Pakistan, but a triumph of astute leadership, exemplary teamwork and commitment.

Thank you for giving us such a splendid image of working together which should inspire all of us at this time.