ICC World Cup finals today:
All eyes on Mumbai
Rally round team – President:
*Entire nation behind team - PM
*Team very confident- Sri Lankan Captain
*Winning coveted cup wish of all Lankans
Chaminda PERERA
The Sri Lankan cricket team with the wishes of over 20 million Sri
Lankans is just a step away from the world championship of the ODIs as
they vie for the equally determined Indians at Wankhede Stadium in
Mumbai today. Sri Lanka is on the threshold of world’s most celebrated
cricket moment.
The Sri Lankan team under the captaincy of Mahela Jayawardena was
featured in the World Cup finals in 2007 in the Caribbean Islands.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa flew to the Caribbean Islands to be with the
Jayawardena and teammates in a move to boost their morale and
confidence. People all over the country regardless of their ethnicity or
other differences are wishing for the Sri Lankan team’s victory at ICC
World Cup finals in Wankhede where the best bowlers and the batsmen in
the planet will vie for the coveted trophy.
Both countries want the coveted trophy once each. India emerged
victorious at the World Cup finals at the historic Lord’s stadium 28
years ago while Sri Lanka bagged the award in Lahore in 1996. President
Rajapaksa on Thursday called on all Sri Lankans to rally round the Sri
Lankan team to win the cricket World Cup as tribute to the country’s
spin legend Muralitharan who is to retire from the ODIs after today’s
World Cup finals in Mumbai.
The President said retiring spin legend Muralitharan is a true Sri
Lankan who brought honour to the country.
Prime Minister D M Jayaratne also wished the team all strength and
courage to pull off the ICC World Cup by beating India today.
He said the entire nation is backing the Sri Lankan team for victory.
“We as an undeterred nation has achieved many victories in the world.
As much as we saw the ICC World Cup in 1996 we are destined to win it
again this year,” he added. Premier Jayaratne added that the leadership
of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who liberated the country from 30 years
of terrorism is a victorious leadership which has steered us towards new
vistas in development and progress.
Kumar Sangakkara at a press conference in Mumbai yesterday said that
team is confident going into the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup and
would play as one unit. He said the meeting of the two Asian neighbours
for the finals is a victory for the subcontinent.
The nation is fortunate enough to witness the ICC world Cup finals in
Mumbai after 30 years of terrorism that engulfed the country.
The country was liberated from the clutches of terrorism by the
Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the people have an
opportunity to witness how the great sons of our soils are being played
to bring honour to the country.
Thousands of people in the country lost the opportunity to witness
how the Lions were fighting with the Aussies in 2007 for the coveted cup
in the Caribbean Islands as LTTE terrorists started carrying out air
sorties by light weight aircraft. The entire area faced a black out and
the people were gripped with fear as anti aircraft gunfire lit up the
sky on the night of the 2007 cricket World Cup final.
Sri Lankans are blessed with a situation where people are living
without fear. All Sri Lankans could be assured of viewing a full match
on their Televisions without harbouring thoughts of fear and anxiety
about any lurking terrorist threat. |