Monday 28th March, 2011 Rest Muali for semi-final - Gura BY REX CLEMENTINE who play spin well. I don’t know about ne of ’s heroes of the the injury too much, but I don’t think 1996 World Cup triumph Asanka he’s going to be fit in two days to play OGurusinghe says that the team the semi-final. He was really strug- should consider resting off-spinner gling the other day. The umpires aren’t from the World going to permit a substitute either if Cup semi-final encounter against New something happens and we’ll be really Zealand on Tuesday, so that he could struggling. will make be fully fit to play Saturday’s final in sure that they tell the Match Referee if Sri Lanka go through. and umpires that in case he aggravates Muralitharan sustained a ham- the injury, a substitute should not be string injury during Sri Lanka’s last allowed,” Gurusinghe added. group game against the Kiwis in Speaking on Sri Lanka’s compre- Mumbai last week and although he hensive win in the quarter-final, picked up two in the quarter- Gurusinghe said ’s Asanka Gurusinghe with Muttiah Muralitharan during a recent function in Melbourne, . (Pic by Johann Jayasinghe). final clash against on side showed why they are one of the Saturday, he looked to be in consider- favourites in the competition. “We just runs for the second and then we three World Cups (1987, 1992 and second most by a Sri Lankan . He hit able pain towards the end of the showed them why we are one of the lost a few wickets. Then Hashan 1996) and was called up to do differ- three half-centuries; the most by a innings. favourites. We are good in executing (Tillakaratne) and Roshan ent functions in those campaigns. Sri Lankan in that campaign and in “Murali is a bit of a worry for me. our plans. We bowled well and we field- (Mahanama) batted through and won While at times he kept wickets, on his six innings was out on three He was struggling on Saturday,” ed well in pitches. Our openers took us us the game. Saturday’s game was just other occasions he bowled the full occasions. Gurusinghe told ‘The Island’ yesterday. through and showed that ruthlessness brilliant. England were comprehen- quota of 10 “I have known Murali even before he is what you require in the knockouts. sively beaten.” overs. He also made his first class debut. When I saw Saturday’s quarter-final was quite “I hope this team will go onto win batted at various him bowling, I knew he was not giving similar to the 1996 World Cup quarter- the cup. The only worry I have is, positions and it everything. That’s very unusual for final between the same opponents. On well, it’s been said everywhere, the was the number someone like Murali. He didn’t have a Saturday, England set Sri Lanka a tar- middle order. If we lose the openers three batsman follow through and it’s a worry for get of 230 while in Faisalabad the tar- early and if Kumar goes early, that’s a during Sri me,” Gurusinghe added. get was 236. Fifteen years ago, Sri worry and that’s been spoken of Lanka’s success- “My advice is to rest Murali and get Lanka won with 56 balls to spare while everywhere. Just like in the game ful campaign in him fit by the time the final comes. two days ago, they won with 63 balls to against , we might struggle. 1996. I guess we could beat New Zealand spare. “We played a similar kind of Other than our middle order, I am He scored without Murali. I don’t know whether game in the quarter-final in 1996. Our really excited about our prospects, over 300 runs at that’s an overstatement, but Murali middle order on that occasion played a “Gurhsinghe added. 51:04 in the 1996 will be vital against or Pakistan, big role. Sanath and I added 100 odd Asanka Gurusinghe played in World Cup, the More sports on page 12, 14 and 15. Dilshan is a Jack of All Trades - Sanga BY REX CLEMENTINE from start to finish,” Sangakkara said. going was absolutely sensational,” 11 today. Those three spinners, “Losing the toss, you want to Sangakkara added. along with Dilshan, Malinga and It’s been two years since restrict the opposition to a manage- Sri Lanka’s openers added 231 Mathews were the key for our suc- Tillakaratne Dilshan volunteered to able total. We were targeting a bit runs for the first wicket and this is cess. It was a great effort and if we open the for his country and less than 250. We did exceptionally their second double hundred partner- can continue to put up such collec- together with providing balance to the well to restrict them to 220. Maybe a ship in the World Cup and tive efforts, we can go quite far in side, the 34-year-old has come up bit of clever work on the field might Sangakkara admired the discipline this competition.” with several match winning perform- In a game where Sri Lanka had ances. On Saturday, he won yet so many positives, the only drawback another Man of the Match award for was the team missing three catches his unbeaten hundred in the World off England middle order batsman Cup quarter-final against England, Eoin Morgan. but how well he bowled with the new “Except for the three catches, the ball to dismiss Andrew Strauss ended rest of the was good. You up a distant second best after he can’t do much about missing a catch. entertained a packed house with If you miss a catch, the important clever batting. thing is you shouldn’t let your body “Dilshan has got a fantastic ability language go negative. Instead, stay with whatever he does; whether it be positive and look for the next oppor- fielding, batting or bowling,” Sri Lanka tunity and keep charging in and stay Kumar Sangakkara told jour- in the game. If we can keep doing nalists after his team’s 10 wicket tri- that and keep that energy up we can umph at the R. Premadasa Stadium. do a lot better.” Sri Lanka opted to play three spe- Sangakkara also said that Sri cialist spinners against England and Lanka picked their combination for Sangakkara got Dilshan to bowl with games according to the opponents, the new ball. “He bowls very well to denying that his side relied heavily the left-handers and gets the new ball on spin bowling. to turn. You know, Andrew Strauss “We kind of try and take it both being a left-hander, he hasn’t got a Tillakaratne Dilshan celebrates the dismissal of England captain Andrew ways. Spin is our strength, but at the great record against spin and our first Strauss with captain Kumar Sangakkara during the World Cup quarter-final same time, we have had good fast option was to throw the ball to encounter at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday. (Gemunu Amarasinghe) bowlers coming through during the Dilshan and see whether he could do last two years. , something and he did. On the field he have actually got the total down. But shown by both batsmen. and Dilhara was the best and he’s been so in the the way Dilshan started off with the “It looks easy out there. But you Fernando and all these guys have a whole tournament. With the bat he’s new ball, starting that spell and then need a special effort to win big part to play, depending on the oppo- unbelievable. Today, he was fabulous the way he and got games. Today I think Dilshan and sition and the wicket. Today, it was Upul Tharanga combined to give that England and the wicket had dried up little spark of inspiration and they and we wanted to play the additional were absolutely magnificent and spinner. We try and keep being ruthless. It wasn’t easy for them you unpredictable as a bowling side and know; they were cramping up a bit, it’s important in this kind of tourna- they could have thrown it away, but ment. “ that shows how hungry they were to “According to the opposition, we finish it off when they had the oppor- draw up our game plan. If you take tunity.” today, Andrew Strauss was playing There were just 12 boundaries in and we used Dilshan, although we the England innings and Sangakkara had three spinners. The reason to praised his bowlers for the fine effort. throw the ball at Dilshan is because “We couldn’t give Kule (Kulasekara) he bowls well against left-handed a game. We had named 12 ahead of batsmen. That paid off. I thought he this game and took a further look at bowled exceptionally well today,” the wicket and decided on the final Sangakkara added.

Monday 28th March, 2011