England aiming for Cup glory:
Lankans must go for the kill from ball one
Elmo RODRIGOPULLE
Sri Lanka will have to play at their best when they meet England in
their 2011 World Cup quarter-final game under lights at the R. Premadasa
Stadium starting at 2.30 p.m today.
Sri Lanka will do well to guard against complacency. Many a team has
rested on their laurels, taken it easy and suffered. A win and a win at
all cost is what Sri Lanka must look for.
At the time of writing the weather has suddenly turned bad and it
will be everyone’s wish that the rains won’t take their turn and play
the role of spoil sport.
Firstly to the wicket and we hope that curator Anura Polonowita would
have got the message when skipper Kumar Sangakkara mentioned at the
media briefing before the clash against New Zealand in Mumbai, that the
Indian wickets are better than ones existing in Sri Lanka.
Batting cleverly
And Sangakkara justified his thinking by batting cleverly to score
his first three figure score in World Cup cricket and lead his team to
victory against the Kiwis and a quarter-final slot.
Polonowita will have to show more purpose and get up a wicket that
Sangakkara likes. Not to do so and if the Lankans fail to deliver,
Polonowita will be the whipping boy.
Once again the winning of the toss and batting first will be very
important. Putting up a formidable score will be to put the pressure on
the side chasing and luring them into mistakes which could prove fatal.
Sri Lanka will have everything in their favor playing at home.
They must perform at peak and nothing short of victory would suffice.
The Lankans have been in the game long enough and we need not tell them
that excuses however good are unacceptable once in the big league.
Capabilities
The Lankans showed their capabilities by outplaying the Kiwis. They
must give continuity to that form and play from out of their skins if
they hope to skin the British lions.
The good news coming from the Sri Lanka camp is that Muttiah
Muralitheran is fit to take the field. He suffered a hamstring injury in
the previous game and it retarded his movements somewhat. But this being
his final World Cup he did not want to miss out but ignored the injury
and answered the call and handling a slippery ball with great dexterity
lured the Kiwi batsmen to their demise with a telling spell.
It is a must that Muralitheran be on the park in this sudden death
game because he is one bowler who the England batsmen fear.
Although many of the England batmen have faced him in the county
scene they have still not been able to master him and play him with any
degree of confidence.
Among the runs
While the Lanka first four batsmen have been among the runs, the
middle order, especially Chamara Silva and Thilan Samaraweea have been
woefully short of runs and big runs at that.
The Lankan think tanks will have to rethink and do a bit of tinkering
by sending in Angelo Mathews ahead of Silva and Samaraweera. Mathews has
many a time batted without any support.
Once again openers Upul Tharanga, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Kumar
Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena will have to get their run making act
going. Failure could mean danger.
Of the bowlers Lasith Malinga will have to find form. But Sangakkara
will rely on his spinners to undo the English batting. It would not be a
bad idea to go in spin heavy and open the attack with a spinner.
No easy beats
Led by Andrew Strauss, England will not be easy beats. They have
still not engraved their names on the World Cup since its inception and
are now baying for blood.
England at the moment seem a bit jaded having been on the park for
far too long.
They played a five Test Ashes series, seven one-dayers and now a
strenuous World Cup campaign.
But being professionals they know how to adjust. Their batting is
strong with skipper Andrew Strauss and Matt Prior to give them a sound
opening. Strauss especially can make big score unless dismissed early.
Jonothan Trott has been in spanking form and can take any attack to
the cleaners with his energetic stroke play. Following him will be Ian
Bell who has played here before and showed what he s capable of. He is a
good player of spin.
Paul Collingwood, Eion Morgan, Luke Wright and Greame Swann are all
punishing batsmen if allowed to cut loose. Morgan especially is a hard
hitting batsman and is in for a big score. James Anderson will spearhead
the Lions attack and is a clever mover of the ball both ways. England
will miss Stuart Broad. But Tim Bresnan will not be easy to score of.
The spin will be in the capable hands of Swann. Michael Yardy the
left arm spinner has quit the World Cup suffering from depression..
This do or die battle will be watched by a full house, with the
papare, papare bands making big noise and if Sri Lanka fails to win this
it would be sad. The teams will be announced only after the captains
have a look at the wicket. |