Resting stars leave Sri Lanka fans fuming

WORLD CUP: Sri Lankan cricket fans Tuesday expressed frustration and disappointment over their team's tactics in resting top players for the World Cup clash against Australia.

Sri Lanka, already assured of a place in the semi-finals, kept out star bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan for the Super Eights match in Grenada on Monday, which Australia won by seven wickets. Buoyed by the team's excellent showing in the tournament so far, fans had eagerly awaited victory over Australia, the favourites to win their third consecutive World Cup title.

Mumtaz Begum, a female fan, said: "I can't believe they rested Vaas and Murali against a tough team like Australia. The loss will hit the morale of our team."

"They should go on a holiday if they needed rest. World Cup comes only once in four years," said another disappointed fan Saman Priyantha.

Stanley Weerasinghe, a veteran watcher of Sri Lankan cricket, said, "whatever the tactics, the end result is that we have lost badly."

"Australia are the top team in the world. You have to respect your opponents and play your best team in a tournament like the World Cup." Taxi driver Ranjith Priyantha complained that "Vaas and Murali did not tour India in February saying they needed rest because of the World Cup. Now they go to the World Cup and still want rest."

The pundits, however, were willing to give the Sri Lankan team management the benefit of the doubt.

Popular commentator Roshan Abeysinghe said the decision could be justified because Sri Lanka had already assured its place in the semi-final and there was no need to go full throttle.

COLOMBO, Tuesday, AFP