Sri Lanka Expect Top Order to Fire
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DN SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009 SPORT Sri Lanka expect top order to fire MANOJ VATSYAYANA Dilshan, a middle-order batsman performing the Sri Lanka will be look- role of an opener remark- ing forward to impressive ably well. contributions from top- Dilshan has already order batsmen to make a been nominated for three big impact on the International Cricket Champions Trophy. Council awards — Crick- Sri Lanka failed to eter of the Year, Test Play- qualify for the semi- er of the Year and Twen- finals of the tourna- ty20 International Perfor- ment’s last edition in mance of the Year. India in 2006 and look Sri Lanka also have keen to turn around solid batsmen in skipper things this time with an Kumar Sangakkara, improved performance. Jayawardene and Thi- Consistency is Sri lan Samaraweera to Lanka’s main problem. capitalise on a They were always consid- brisk start, but ered unbeatable at home expect more from but have produced a most overs, and it’s our play big roles as they can others to set or Tillakaratne Dilshan mixed bag of results in responsibility to get the dominate any attack with chase a stiff tar- recent times, having lost big scores and bat through a wide range of attractive get. Jayawardene. Veteran to India twice, beaten Pak- the innings.” Sri Lanka strokes. Jayasuriya may be An encourag- off-spinner Muttiah istan once before losing to cannot afford to be incon- the oldest batsman at 40, ing piece of news Muralitharan, the world’s late India again in Monday’s sistent as they are in a but can overshadow for Sri Lanka is that their leading wicket-taker in and his side expect Tri-nations series in tough Group B with South youngsters with his pacemen, led by Lasith Tests and one-dayers, is as him to regain rhythm Colombo. Africa, England and New unorthodox stroke-mak- Malinga, have been back- shrewd as ever in drying soon. “Over the last year, we Zealand, who are capable ing. He returned to form ing the spinners in recent up runs or taking crucial They also have an effec- have been patchy and of beating the best on with a blazing 79-ball 98 matches. wickets. tive pace attack to put the inconsistent in one-day their day. The top two in a recent match against “The positive for us has Sri Lanka have an opposition on the back internationals,” senior sides will advance to the India in Colombo. been our bowling, which unorthodox spinner in foot, with Malinga, Nuwan batsman Mahela Jayawar- semi-finals. Sri Lanka’s search for an has been consistent and Ajantha Mendis, who mes- Kulasekara and Thilan dene said recently. Openers Sanath Jaya- aggressive pair of openers has allowed us to use well merised batsman with his Thushara all among wick- “The top order has to suriya and Tillakaratne appeared to have ended the variations we have at subtle variations last year. ets in recent matches. NEW get runs. We get to bat the Dilshan are expected to with the recent exploits of our disposal,” said He has been struggling of DELHI, Friday (AFP) Rebuilding time for champion Aussies ROBERT SMITH learning hard lessons series in England to He now relies on vice- along the way. escape the pressures. captain Michael Clarke The Australian team is “The Champions Tro- He obviously has an eye and senior batsman Mike in a rebuilding phase while phy is a key event on ICC’s on Australia’s demanding Hussey for the experience skipper Ricky Ponting is cricket calendar and is a playing schedule beyond that is largely missing from reassessing his future pri- good opportunity for us to the Champions’ Trophy, the current set-up. orities as the one-time see how this new-look Aus- including a one-day series Australia’s Trophy kingpins prepare for the tralian one-day squad goes against India in October as chances also took a blow defence of the Champions in its bid to retain the Tro- well as six home Tests with the loss of wicket- Trophy. phy,” chairman of selectors against the West Indies keeper Brad Haddin fol- Shaken by the recent Andrew Hilditch said. and Pakistan. lowing finger surgery. The ICC Champions Trophy loss of the Ashes to Eng- “The one-day team has- Ponting has already The big-hitting Haddin land and the subsequent n’t played in a major tour- announced his retirement broke the ring finger of his recriminations, the Aus- nament since the 2007 from international Twen- left hand prior to the third tralians are typically fight- World Cup and this will be ty20 cricket in a bid to pro- Edgbaston Ashes Test and ing back, stretching to a 5- a good chance to see long his Test career. has been replaced in the Batting doldrums 0 lead over England in the where we are at. “The decision is all to do Trophy squad by Tasmani- on-going ODI series. “The team is in a with my longevity in the an Tim Paine. Since the 2007 World rebuilding phase and we game,” Ponting said. The Australians will be have New Zealand Cup triumph in the look forward to seeing “Over the last couple of also relying on the batting Caribbean, the Aussies how this squad goes in years I have found it of emerging star Callum have dropped home series South Africa as we prepare increasingly difficult to Ferguson and allrounder in a spin against India and South for the 2011 World Cup in play all three forms of the Shane Watson and the Africa and lost two ODIs the subcontinent.” game at the level that I bowling of Ashes troupe, CHRIS FOLEY just not learned anything in a five-match series Ponting, who became want to play them.” Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell on tour,” Vettori against Pakistan in the first Australian skipper Ponting has become the Johnson, Peter Siddle and said as they Dubai/Abu Dhabi last May. in 100 years to lose two team elder in a younger Nathan Hauritz, comple- New Zealand will need packed up and The Australians are consecutive Ashes Test group following the retire- mented by senior paceman a remarkable reversal of prepared to developing a new one-day series in England, took ments of Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Nathan form if they are to head to South team for the 2011 World some time off during the Matthew Hayden, Shane Bracken. SYDNEY, Friday emerge as serious con- Africa. Cup and a new generation ongoing seven-match ODI Warne, Glenn McGrath (AFP) - tenders in the Champi- WELLING- of stars are in the making, and Justin Langer. ons Trophy and reverse TON, Sept 17, their tumbling world sta- 2009 (AFP) - Brett Lee tus. They arrive in South Africa from a morale-sap- ping series in Sri Lanka where they failed to be competitive and their Dhoni’s India bank on consistency world ranking fell from fourth to sixth. While ever-consistant spinner Daniel Vettori, the best team in the winning roles MANOJ VAT- “Missing a player like Sehwag is huge because with their excit- backed by the return of SAYANA world,” said India coach he is a quality batsman. But we’ve got a lot of speedster Shane Bond, Gary Kirsten. ing stroke-mak- ensures there is some “We are headed that way ing. depth in our cricket at the moment. fight in the field, the Mahendra and are very excited. We The spotlight We’ve got a good batting line-up which Black Caps fragile bat- Singh Dhoni’s know we have to perform will be on mid- is flexible,” said Kirsten. ting leaves them vulnera- India will be well as we continue the dle-order bats- ble. keen to maintain quest to be the best. We man Rahul Dravid, with Tendulkar, the and fellow-pacemen When opener Jesse their consistency to take pride in our consis- who has just world’s leading scorer in Ishant Sharma and Rudra Ryder fell for a second- fulfill their fans’ tency and we’d like to con- returned to the one- both Tests and one-day- Pratap Singh are all capa- ball duck in their must- expectations at the Cham- tinue that.” side after nearly two ers. ble of providing early win pool match against pions Trophy starting in India will be without years. He is known Tendulkar, playing breakthroughs, which are India in the triangular South Africa next week. explosive opener Virender for building an international cricket essential to seize the tournament in Sri India disappointed in Sehwag and key paceman innings under pres- for nearly two advantage. Lanka it ignited the the tournament’s last edi- Zaheer Khan, but Kirsten sure, having already decades, will again India have a specialist familiar scene of a top- tion at home in 2006 when said the team still had the scored more than be the key for his spinner in Harbhajan order batting collapse. they failed to qualify for resources to give a good 10,000 one-day runs. ability to play Singh who can keep the After being white- the semi-finals, but have account of themselves in “It’s good to have according to the batsmen under check with washed by Sri Lanka in given their fans plenty to South Africa. him (Dravid) back. He situation and his tidy off-spin. the preceeding two-Test cheer about with their “Missing a player like is a very experienced inspire confidence Part-time spinners series, New Zealand had recent successes. Sehwag is huge because he player and adds mas- in others.