Monday 18th August, 2008

It took him 18 Focus on Sanath ODIs to post his first half-centu- ry against the Indians and ever since, he and Ajantha scored that famous 79 off 76 balls in Dehli Plenty at stake as and during the 1996 World Cup, the Through 132 of 167 total medal events Country G S B Tot resume ODI rivalry hard-hitting China 27 13 7 47 left-hander has- Rex Clementine United States 16 17 22 55 n’t looked back, Germany 9 5 5 19 reporting from Dambulla Australia 7 9 11 27 having compiled returns to South Korea 7 9 4 20 Dambulla after 11 months 2429 runs Japan 7 5 5 17 with Sri Lanka taking on Britain 7 3 7 17 against them in tourists India with the first Italy 6 5 5 16 match of the five game 74 ODIs at 37:36, Russia 5 8 8 21 series beginning today here better than his Ukraine 5 2 5 12 at the Rangiri Dambulla career average France 3 9 10 22 International Cricket Slovakia 3 1 0 4 Stadium. of 32:87. Six of Czech Republic 2 3 0 5 Sri Lanka’s inconsistent his 27 ODI hun- 2 1 2 5 run in ODI cricket since end- Romania 2 1 2 5 ing as runners-up in the dreds have come Switzerland 2 0 3 5 World Cup tournament has against the Georgia 2 0 1 3 seen them to seventh Spain 2 0 1 3 position in the official rank- Indians and Cuba 1 3 4 8 ings, only ahead of West into the bargain Zimbabwe 1 3 0 4 Indies, Zimbabwe and his career best 1 2 4 7 . Azerbaijan 1 2 2 5 The series provides the 189 too has been Norway 1 2 1 4 hosts with an ideal opportu- nity to climb up to fourth scored against North Korea 1 1 3 5 position, but in the unlikely them. His popu- Canada 1 1 2 4 scenario of them losing 5-0 Mongolia 1 1 0 2 larity in India to India, they will slide fur- Poland 1 1 0 2 ther down to eight position, has been such Brazil 1 0 4 5 behind the West Indies. that at the age Indonesia 1 0 3 4 Sri Lanka Mahela Bulgaria 1 0 1 2 Jayawardene admitted that of 39 he fetched Finland 1 0 1 2 his side has been inconsis- 975,000 US Ethiopia 1 0 0 1 tent in one-day games in India 1 0 0 1 recent times and attributed Dollars from Jamaica 1 0 0 1 this to a struggling Mukesh Thailand 1 0 0 1 order, but with players like Tunisia 1 0 0 1 and Ambani, the Sanath Jayasuriya Hungary 0 4 1 5 back owner of Kazakhstan 0 3 3 6 in form, in their new role as place. Indian media that it was the of what combination to go Mumbai Sweden 0 3 0 3 the team’s opening combina- The talk in the Indian 39-year-old who attracted all with, but in all probability Belarus 0 2 6 8 tion, the hosts are looking to camp ahead of the ODIs was the attention after all the will send Sangakkara with Indians fran- Turkey 0 2 1 3 maintain their winning run on veteran Sanath hype and euphoria about Jayasuriya as the openers chise during the that started with the success Jayasuriya and mystery Mendis. and will play the additional Austria 0 1 2 3 at the . spinner . The “Jayasuriya can be com- seamer. With Dilhara Indian Premier Algeria 0 1 1 2 “After the World Cup, we Indians have sweated on pared to Sehwag or Fernando nowhere near his Colombia 0 1 1 2 League Twenty- lacked a bit of consistency. cracking the Mendis mystery Gilchrist. It’s important not usual best, it’s likely that Kyrgyzstan 0 1 1 2 Probably lack of form and a code without much success, to let them have a good they will play Thilina 20 competition. Serbia 0 1 1 2 few personal changes, but no whereas the veteran start. They are the sort of Tushara Mirando and Slovenia 0 1 1 2 excuses. We didn’t consis- Jayasuriya has remained batsmen who will take . Uzbekistan 0 1 1 2 tently maintain our stan- a thorn in their flesh for well chances, so trying to restrict India will stick to a six Ecuador 0 1 0 1 dards. During the Asia Cup, over ten years now. them they will commit mis- batsmen and five bowlers Chamara Kapugedara, Estonia 0 1 0 1 we managed to turn things It took him 18 ODIs to takes. With someone combination, but which of Tillekeratne Dilshan, Trinidad / Tobago 0 1 0 1 around. We were very consis- post his first half- like Jayasuriya, it’s the seamers will get a game , Muttiah Vietnam 0 1 0 1 tent with the bat, ball and in against the Indians and ever important to get him out wasn’t decided yesterday, Muralitharan, Dilhara Armenia 0 0 5 5 the field. since, he scored that famous early,” India’s captain M.S. afternoon. Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Denmark 0 0 2 2 That’s the toughest thing 79 off 76 balls in Dehli dur- Dhoni warned. The series will be impor- Thilina Tushara Mirando, Taiwan 0 0 2 2 for most of the international ing the 1996 World Cup, the Mendis has progressed tant for ace paceman Nuwan Kulasekara, Jehan Argentina 0 0 1 1 teams, to consistently be in hard-hitting left-hander has- nicely ever since his ODI Chaminda Vaas as he’s four Mubarak and Malinda Croatia 0 0 1 1 that competitive level,” n’t looked back, having com- debut against the West short of completing Warnapura. Egypt 0 0 1 1 Jayawardene said at a media piled 2429 runs against them Indies and ended as the Man 400 wickets in ODI cricket. India (From): Mahendra Lithuania 0 0 1 1 briefing yesterday. in 74 ODIs at 37:36, better of the Series in the Asia Only (502), Singh Dhoni (capt), “In Australia, we didn’t than his career average of Cup where he picked up six Muttiah Murlaitharan (475) Subramaniam Badrinath, Mexico 0 0 1 1 bat consistency. If you take 32:87. Six of his 27 ODI hun- wickets for 13 runs in the and (416) have , Virender Tajikistan 0 1 1 the innings that Sanath dreds have come against the final. He followed that up taken more wickets than Sehwag, , Rohit Togo 0 0 1 1 played in the final of the Indians and into the bargain with another rich haul of 26 him in ODIs. Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Asia Cup or the innings that his career best 189 too has wickets in the three Tests Sri Lankan middle order Kohli, , Irfan Kumar played before that, been scored against them. against the tourists that pre- batsman Tillekeratne Pathan, Praveen Kumar, that’s something that we did- His popularity in India ceded the ODIs. Dilshan is also expected to , Zaheer n’t have in Australia. It was has been such that at the “Right now, if you see complete 3000 ODI runs dur- Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, eight months ago and we age of 39 he fetched 975,000 the statistics it has been ing the series. If Dilshan Munaf Patel and Pragyan have moved on since. We US Dollars from Mukesh Mendis. He has been taking gets there, he’ll be the 11th Ojha. need to continue the hard Ambani, the owner of wickets for them. Previously Sri Lankan to score over Umpires: Billy Doctrove work that we have done,” he they had Muralitharan, now 3000 runs in ODIs. (WI) and Asoka de (SL) added. franchise during the you have two specialist spin- Sri Lanka: (From): Third Umpire: Gamini A 4-1 win for the Sri ners who don’t really give Silva (SL) Lanka will place them fourth Twenty-20 competition. loose balls to cash in on, (Captain), Kumar Standby Umpire: Sena in the His return to the Sri that’s the difference,” Dhoni Sangakkara, Sanath Nandaweera (SL) rankings, but a 3-2 win Lankan side has created added. Jayasuriya, Mahela Match Referee: Chris will only take them to sixth such a sensation in the Sri Lanka were not sure Udawatte, , Broad (Eng)