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| Sunday, 28 August 2005 |
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Sri Lanka - a good side especially at home - Whatmore By Ranjan Anandappa Sri Lanka cricket captain Marvan Atapattu preferred to play the game in his own way as he has been doing in the past, rather than bothering about the opposition when Sri Lanka take on Bangladesh in three One-day Internationals and two Test matches in Bangladesh's month long tour in Sri Lanka. The tour is sponsored by Bank Al Falah Limited a Pakistani Bank which has links in Bangladesh. The touring Bangladesh team will play three One day games on August 31 at the SSC, September 2nd the second ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium and the third ODI also at R. Premadasa Stadium on September 4. All matches will be day games. The first Test will be played from September 12 to 16 at the R. Premadasa Stadium and the second Test will take place from September 20 to 24 at the P. Sara Stadium. "The Bangladesh team has improved tremendously in the recent past, it shows in their performances, and as far as we are concerned, we would like to think about ourselves and play according to the way we normally perform here and try to concentrate about our own game rather than thinking too much about the opposition which I have always maintained," said the Sri Lankan skipper Atapattu. Former Sri Lankan coach Davenell Whatmore who had a two term stint as Sri Lanka coach and helped to win Sri Lanka the 1996 World Cup, held the present Lankan outfit in high esteem. "The team is placed second in the ICC ODI table and it is a reflection of the way they have been playing. They have won games and they fully deserved to be there. A good side especially at home," said Whatmore the present Bangladesh coach. Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody, after a victorious start beating the West Indies in the One-day and Test series and winning the Indian Oil Tri-Nation cricket series, said that the players have a lot of respect for the Bangladesh team which is an emerging side. "We will play our strongest side ,players have a lot of respect for Bangladesh as they are an emerging side and we'll set in to make sure that we'll stay on top of our game. With a lot of cricket over the next six or twelve months we want to maintain some positive momentum as this series as important as any other series we get in the future. It is important we play our best players and during the process may be blood some players as we go along. It is important we play a full strength side and take every match very seriously", said Tom Moody. Referring to the One-day win against Australia in England, Whatmore said that the win saw Australia stop in their track a little bit and the people in the country will understand the team as a potential force. There are necessary and right ingredients in that country to eventually become a very good team. "I did not think that we would beat Australia ,after they scored 249, the Bangladesh team played better on that day than their opposition".
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