Lanka off to a flyer in opener

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE in West Indies

WORLD CUP: Half centuries by skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva saw Sri Lanka making an ideal start to their 2007 ICC World Cup campaign with a thumping 243-run victory over minnows Bermuda at the Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain in Trinidad here on Thursday.

Jayawardene did not hesitate to bat first after he called right. This was obvious as Sri Lanka preferred to give some batting practice to their top order before the decisive Group ‘B’ tie against Bangladesh scheduled for March 21.

Personally, it was a great victory for Jayawardene as well as the Sri Lanka captain returned to form with a sparkling knock of 85 off 90 balls with two sixes and six boundaries.

But Sri Lanka did not get the ideal start they expected as both openers - Sanath Jayasuriya (22) and Upul Tharanga (30) were back in the pavilion after the first 12 overs.

But by the time Sri Lanka lost the second wicket in the last ball of the 12th over by paceman Kevin Hurdle, they had 78 runs on the board. But Jayawardene who joined Sangakkara shared a vital 150-run partnership to put Sri Lanka in a strong position.

Chamara Silva continued his good work from their last tour of India to crack an unbeaten 55 off just 45 balls in a 48-minute stay at the middle. His final assault enabled Sri Lanka to make a formidable 321 for 6 in their allotted 50 overs.

It was a tall order for World Cup debutants Bermuda who were under tremendous pressure right from the start. Ever since Chaminda Vaas trapped opener Clay Smith for a duck only in the fifth ball of the Bermuda innings, wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

They were finally bowled out for only 78 runs in 24.4 overs. Lasith Malinga, who shared the new ball with Vaas, was a whisker away from becoming the fifth bowler to claim a hat-trick in World Cup history.

Having sent David Hemp and Irvine Romaine back to pavilion, Malinga fired a full-length delivery to Janeiro Tucker, who celebrated his 32nd birthday on the same day.

The ball clipped Tucker on the pads to see a confident leg before appeal. Umpire Daryl Harper turned it down, though he found it to be “Oh-so-close”.

Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene was a happy man to see his team making a winning start. He said the team is determined to remain unbeaten.

But Jayawardene said they will not underestimate Bangladesh and added that Sri Lanka will have to be in perfect shape before the decisive group ‘B’ tie against India.

“I hope our top order gets some runs in the remaining two matches. Personally, I have not been at my best with the bat in the last couple of months.

It was good for me to spend more time in the middle there. I hope I will continue with it in important games. All the other guys around me are also batting well, so it should be exciting,” he added.

Despite a one-sided contest, Jayawardene was supportive of Bermuda’s presence at the World Cup.

“When we recall Sri Lanka’s World Cup debut way back in 1975, this is a big opportunity for Bermuda. There should be a proper development and I’m sure the ICC is monitoring the progress of these countries. The more games they play at top level, the more they will improve.

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, it is always good to have these countries playing in big tournaments. That was the hard way we learnt. Hopefully, they will do the same and improve,” Jayawardene continued.

Bermuda captain Irvine Romaine said his side had plenty to gain from the experience of playing on the big league.

“It was a memorable experience. Some of the old players were also there. They are disappointed with the result, but they know it is a historic day for Bermuda cricket. We were all emotional and it showed in a couple of early overs,” he said.

Romaine added that their top order had no answer to Malinga. He said the round-arm action and lively pace of the Lankan quick bowler was something his batsmen had never experienced before.

“We did okay, fared reasonably well in the field. However, the frontline batsmen could not handle Malinga’s lightening bowling,” he continued. Romaine said the style of bowling they tasted from Malinga was totally a new experience to all of them. He expressed confidence in the remaining games.

Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene paid a tribute to Malinga. “The last six months have been exciting for us, with Lasith (Malinga) around. The lad has given us more attacking options. He showed a lot of aggression but bowled within himself. He bowled in good areas,” Jayawardene said.