Reigning champs England will come hard:

Lankans have the power to down them

[Elmo Rodrigopulle - Reporting]

Sri Lanka who are making steady progress with victories over New Zealand and West Indies and who are assured of a semi-final fling, unless the unforeen happens, will meet England in the final Super Eight game at 7.30 p.m. today. A victory in this game against England and we see no reason why they cannot win, will see them waltzing to the R.Premadasa Stadium for a semi-final fling. England too will be looking for a win to stay alive.

The wickets have so far played true and we hope the wicket for these two games will stay that way. This style of cricket was made to entertain the spectators and good wicket can help to provide the sparks. The Lankans led with great aplomb and intelligence by Mahela Jayewardene are playing quality cricket and according to the dictates of the game and it has gone to help them emerge victorious over New Zealand and West Indies. After the victory over West Indies, at the media conference Jayewardene paid glowing tributes to his team mates, saying they are giving him more than 100 per cent which makes his job easy and that they are all hungry for the Trophy.

Saturday caption

To toot our horn a bit, we captioned our Saturday preview of the Sri Lanka-Windies match thus - Sri Lanka Can Beat The Individually Brilliant West Indies - and that is how it happened.

‘They know what they have to do and what is expected from them and they are going about doing the basics right and the pieces are falling right. We will be taking one game at a time, picking the playing eleven according to the dictates of the weather and the wicket and playing to our ability’, he said.

On the dropping of the young and promising Akila Perera, Jayewardene said that he has a hairline fracture after taking the blow from Brendon McCullum and that his eye is red with a bit of swelling and he would be okay soon and would come into the frame for selection again. Jayewardene also said that they would not be taking any game easy and that the England game would not be different. ‘Being the reigning champions England will come hard and we are prepared to face their bombardment’,said Jayewardene exuding confidence.

Stay focused

The Lankans must not let complacency set in. They must stay focused, forget the earlier success and have a new beginning against England who will not want to or easily concede victory. The British Lions will look to devour, but the Lankan Lions looks the more ferocious and will beard the British Lion in the Lankan den.

Before going on to comment on the game, a bit on the fiasco that Steve Finn is enacting on the game with his incorrigible act of knocking over the bails in his delivery stride.

Finn is over doing the comic act and it is time that the umpires stop this nonsence.

It is irritating and should have no place in the game. The other day th Kiwis lost six runs – a two and a four – after Finn’s comedy as the umpires signaled ‘dead ball’.

Coaches helpless

With the England coaches looking helpless to correct him, the umpires instead of just calling ‘dead ball’ must penalize him, by warning him the first time and asking captain Broad to take him out of the attack and not bowl for the rest of the innings if he repeats. That should teach him.

To the game Sri Lanka must enter the rodeo firing all guns like they did against the Windies who succumbed meekly. Heaping pressure on the Englishmen could unsettle them and lead to their demise. It was nice to see the bowlers bowling wicket to wicket and the return to form of mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis. Mendis had the Windies batsmen in a flat spin in the overs he bowled. A repeat is likely.

Medium pacer Thisara Perera has still not been called upon to bowl so far. Maybe Jayewardene is reserving him for the big occasion. Nuwan Kulesekera, Anjelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis and Lasith Malinga are all firing and should o similarly against the England batsmen of whom the most threatening have been Alex Hales, Luke Wright and Eoin Morgan.

Finn,if he has corrected himself could prove troublesome. Left arm spinner Danny Briggs who opened the bowling bowled tight. As for Sri Lanka the three aces- Jayewardene, Dilshan and Sangakkara have batted strongly and Anjelo Matthews,Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera and Jeevan Mendis must also join in and chip in the runs.The Lankans will be looking to beat England and advance being unbeaten.

Windies - New Zealand

Windies who must be smarting after their listless effort against Sri Lanka where they were convincingly beaten will be determined to stuff the hapless Kiwis and keep their chances alive when they meet at 3.30 p.m. Pallekele,Sunday