Lankans looking to clip the Kiwis
**Will Sanath Jayasuriya don pads today and create history by
becoming the first Member of Parliament to play cricket?
**Slinger Lasith Malinga will be in action on familiar territory
Providence Stadium in Gayana where he took 4 in 4 in the 2007 World Cup
game against South Africa
Brendon McCullum’s prowess as a Twenty20 batsman is well known but
older brother Nathan could also have an important role to play in the
upcoming World Twenty20.
Sanath Jayasuriya |
The Black Caps open the competition against Sri Lanka here on Friday
and, with warm-up matches suggesting pitches will take spin, off-break
bowler Nathan is set for some key overs in an attack where New Zealand
captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been the mainstay for
several years now.
New ball
McCullum was given the new ball in New Zealand’s 40-run warm-up win
over Ireland here on Tuesday, reviving memories of Martin Crowe’s ploy
of using off-spinner Dipak Patel at the start of the innings at the 1992
World Cup - a tactic that helped the Black Caps get to the last four of
that event.
Outstanding
Against Ireland, McCullum took three wickets for 25 runs and Vettori,
who went wicketless, said: “Nathan McCullum was outstanding with the
ball. On a wicket like that you’ve got to be inch perfect because it’s
so slow.”
The Black Caps’ pace attack is led by fast bowler Shane Bond and it
won’t just be Kiwi fans who will be hoping the former policeman, whose
career has been blighted by injuries, can come through this tournament
unscathed.
Lasith Malinga |
Sri Lanka, last year’s losing finalists, appear to have one of the
best balanced squads for this form of cricket with the pace of Lasith
Malinga to the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis posing
problems for most batsmen.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, player of the tournament in England in 2009 and
veteran Sanath Jayasuriya are just two of the island nation’s batsmen
capable of fast scoring.
The Sri Lankans lost by five wickets to South Africa in a warm-up
match on Wednesday but did not have their strongest side out in a clash
that, in any event, went to the last over.
Lucrative
Whether the fact that most of the squad have been taking part in the
lucrative Indian Premier League will catch up with Sri Lanka, remains to
be seen but conditions, at least, should hold no fears for a side who
reached the final of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.
At it was in Guyana where the unorthodox Malinga made history in
2007, taking four wickets in four balls against South Africa.
But former captain Mahela Jayawardene knows Sri Lanka, now led by the
experienced and talented Kumar Sangakkara, could have had an easier
opening fixture.
“New Zealand has got a really good all-round team which can be
totally devastating,” he said. PROVIDENCE, Guyana, Thursday AFP |