Sri Lanka team leaves for Bangladesh next Friday....:

Batting MUST improve and we have to stamp our class - Mahela

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA

CRICKET: Any side playing on their own turf cannot be taken lightly and Bangladesh is no exception as they are a side that could be a threat to any side in their own backyard said the Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena with regard to the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh where the Lankans will meet the home team in two Tests and a Triangular Limited-Overs series involving Zimbabwe too.

The Sri Lanka team will leave on December 19 and will play their 1st Test on `Boxing Day’ and the 2nd Test on January 3, 2009. The Triangular Limited overs series will begin on January 10 and the final scheduled for January 17, 2009.

“Bangladesh has played well during the recent couple of months, and with no international cricket to be played in Sri Lanka for at least another 4 or 5 months, it is important that we stamp our class in both versions of the game on this tour,” quipped the Sri Lanka captain.

“When we met them on the last occasion, it wasn’t very easy to beat them. The pressure is on us obviously to win, so we just need to concentrate on the processes, rather than the end result.

We should make sure that we bat and bowl well and put the pressure on them from the start itself.

The most important thing is getting used to the conditions and adjust our game plan”, Mahela Jayawardena said.

“We will have to get back to our basics and try to win the series. We have played Test matches before in Dacca and Chittagong. Those two are pretty good and hopefully we should get two good wickets,” the Lankan Captain added.

Jayawardena was concerned about his side’s sides batting which was not upto expectations in the last tour of Zimbabwe.

“The pitches in Zimbabwe were under prepared ones, one cannot judge the batting prowess of a side just from a single series. However, the batting was disappointing specially by the late middle-order failing literally.

So we have to definitely lift our batting and have to be more consistent. In the sense we never could adjust ourselves to the conditions. Although we had a game plan we could not implement it the way we wanted. So there are areas that should definitely improve, there are batsmen including myself, who should make sure that our contributions come into the team, so we just need to get back into form.

If the openers give us a good start, and if the middle order flourishes, that will be the key to success”, said the Sri Lankan captain.

Jayawardena said that he realised the mistakes done in Zimbabwe and the challenge is to avoid a repetition of those mistakes.

The Sri Lankans will probably leave behind their sensational spinner Ajantha Mendis who is nursing a leg injury at the moment and he is expected to join the team in time for the 2nd Test.

“We have got other guys also who could put their hands up and rise to the occasion.

It is not just a one-man show for us. If Mendis is unavailable it will be a great opportunity for someone else to come in to the team and show what he is capable of.

We will have to wait and see whether Mendis will be out for both Test matches, the physio knows best. Sometimes he might be fit for the 1st Test if not for the 2nd,” Jayawardena added.

The Sri Lanka Test squad: Mahela Jayawardena (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara (V. Captain), Michael Van Dort, Malintha Warnapura, T.M. Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Prasanna Jayawardena, Thilina Thushara, Chaminda Vaas, Dammika Prasad, Mutttiah Muralitharan. Ajantha Mendis or Rangana Herath.

The ODI squad: Mahela Jayawardena (Captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Angelo Mathew, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara, Dammika Prasad, Mutttiah Muralitheran.

Stand byes: T.M. Dilshan, Mahela Udawatte, Chanaka Welegedera.