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| Thursday, 26 February 2004 |
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Important game for Sri Lanka by Chris Dhambarage, DHAKA, Bangladesh, February 25 A confident Sri Lankan team will be all geared up when they take on a strong Indian outfit in an important ICC under 19 Youth World Cup Super League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium under lights here tomorrow (Thursday). This last group 'A' fixture between the Asian heavyweights is of great importance because both teams are strong contenders to reach the semifinals of the Cup championship. Sri Lanka bounced back in style with a hard fought 29 run win over South Africa while the West Indies also collected their first points in the Super League with a comprehensive 98 run win over India. The most important fact for Sri Lanka is that their batsmen are now just beginning to display their true potential with opener Upul Tharanga stroking an elegant 117 against the West Indies. Sri Lankan coach Somachandra de Silva said that his team has struck form at the correct time and the boys are good as any other side and are capable of making it to the final. He said that the batsmen really struggled for runs in the earlier matches but they are now batting more confidently on good wickets. Sri Lanka played all their first round games at new venues situated in the Bogra District and Rajshahi District which were hosting international cricket matches for the first time. But since they arrived in Dhaka the team has been playing well and more importantly they are performing as one unit. Even then De Silva said that the fielding has to be more sharp especially when they are up against a team like India. The Lankans did not impress on the field in their previous outing and conceded too many runs to the South Africans. De Silva also said that some of the players were carrying minor injuries and that was the main reason which prevented them from giving their one hundred percent on the field. Not only that wicket keeper batsman Gihan de Silva was forced to bat with the help of a runner during his knock of 42 and off spinner Ganganath Ratnayake needed assistance from the physiotherapist Ranjith Nanayakkarawasam mid way during his spell of eight overs. However both players looked quite fit and and in fine touch as the team made their final preparations ahead of another tough challenge. The Lankans may not decide the final eleven until the start of this day night match because they are in two minds whether to play left arm spinner Sudeera de Zoysa or to include an extra batsman. Zoysa's absence was badly felt in the previous game with the South Africans finding it difficult to cope up against the slow bowlers. However Sri Lanka would probably stick to the same strategy and retain the same line up as the Indians are very good against the spinners. The only two players who have failed with the bat are Damindu Kularatneand Harsha Vithana who in fact was demoted to number ten in the batting line up. Apart from a top score of 52 not out against Canada in a first round match at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, Vithana has completely let his side down with a dismal batting performance. Sri Lanka will also keeping a close eye on the net run rate because that could come into effect at the end as all four teams in group 'A' of the Super League have collected two points each. India of course will have an added advantage as they played all their preliminary round matches and the two Super League games at the Bangabandhu National Stadium under lights. In contrast Sri Lanka will be making their maiden appearance at the this venue which all also host both semifinals and the grand final on March 5. The teams: Sri Lanka (from): Farveez Maharood (captain), Ganganath Ratnayake, Upul Tharanga, Damindu Kularatne, Nadeera Nawala, Harsha Vithana, Kaushal Silva, Gihan de Silva, Kosala Kulasekera, Mohamed Suraj, Manoj Chanaka, Sudeera de Zoysa, Angelo Mathews, Vidhyesh Balasubramaniam. India (from): Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Praful Waghela, Dinesh Krishnakumar, Yakub Fazal, Abhishek Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Praveen Gupta, Shikar Dhawan, Vikram Singh, Rudra Singh, Gaurav Dhiman, Sunny Singh, Nikhil Rathod. Super League Group 'A' Standings P W L Pts RR India 2 1 1 2 + 0.930 Sri Lanka 2 1 1 2 +0.100 South Africa 2 1 1 2 -0.260 West Indies 2 1 1 2 -0.770 Note: tabulated under played, won, lost, points and net run rate. |
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