Sri Lanka hope new stars and veterans will deliver goods - Sangakkara

By Ranjan ANANDAPPA

CRICKET: Sri Lanka World Cup captain Kumar Sangakkara did not want to compare the World Cup winning team of 1996 to the present one and said that teams cannot be compared that easily as there are different teams at different times and performances vary.

Sangakkara who would have been a schoolboy at Trinity College, Kandy and following the 1996 World Cup final between Sri Lanka and Australia on television, which Sri Lanka won, said that the 1996 World Cup side led by Arjuna Ranatunga had a very experienced batting line-up.

“The 1996 side was very experienced in batting. When you take their one-day experience, it was probably the most experienced outfit in the World at that time. In 2007, we had the core of probably the 1996 team also travelling through with Sanath Jayasuriya, Muralitharan and Vaas and we also had along with those legends with other players who had just started making a name for themselves. In this particular tournament to start off, we don’t have that kind of experience or that kind of legendary names in the side, but still we do have Murali, Mahela and the newer performers like Dilshan and Angelo Mathews. Other than the guys who have done well, and done well enough to hold a place in a World Cup squad. So the sides are different and the aim is the same and the performances will be hopefully equal,” said the Sri Lankan captain.

Referring to the pitches at the two new venues at Pallekelle and Hambantota and even at Khettarama, Sangakkara said. “That’s something we cannot do anything about, they are new, we know that and our job is to go there, perform and win matches on those tracks. It is funny that we are playing the so called minnows on those tracks. We always like to play the smaller teams as much as possible on the best wickets. There is nothing that’s unpredictable, but when you play teams like that you can’t be worried of wickets. When you are playing teams like Kenya and Canada, your attitude is whatever happens on the wicket, if you play even 80% of your game on that day you are going to beat them. So, there are no excuses, when you play against those sides on any wicket”, stressed Sangakkara.

When asked whether cricket is considered as a passion and a religion in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan captain said: “I don’t think the Sri Lankans consider cricket as a religion, I think they consider it as a passion, they aggressively and vociferously show their love for it. And that is the beauty of the Sri Lankan fan. They love the game and they also respect the game and the people who play it, and it comes probably in another way we look at life. We are relaxed and I think it is very good for the game in Sri Lanka that there is no take-buying players as such. But there is a enormous passion and love for the game,” said Sangakkara.

Matches against Windies beneficial

He said that the three ODI’s against the West Indies scheduled to begin next month is a vital one for his side.

“Any games before the World Cup is beneficial. Immediately after the provincial tournament, International exposure is vital. So three games and two practice games, one with the West Indies and one with Holland will be a good preparation.

The 2007 cricket World Cup captain and the present team vice captain Mahela Jayawardena said that the focus will be on winning match by match during the initial stages of the 2011 World Cup, rather than aiming at the ‘big’ one from the beginning of the tournament.

Jayawardena said that the preparation has been very good with the Provincial Tournament coming to an end and the West Indies arriving, the Sri Lankan team could make the final adjustments.

“We’ll start training together as a team, there will be a lot of planning and structural aspects to be done, we have focused a lot on fitness in the last few weeks with our trainers and every member looks in good shape, and let’s hope that we go with a full strength squad into the World Cup.”

IPL won’t interfere

Jayawardena is one of the higher bidders in the IPL, but he said that it would not affect his performance at the forthcoming World Cup. He said that IPL will be out of his mind when the World Cup Tournament starts. “I’ll totally try to control the objects, that I can control right now, the IPL is going to be after the World Cup, the IPL offer is great personally, but this is Sri Lanka and playing for my country is the most important thing for me and going into the World Cup is my prime focus, and nothing is going to change that attitude,” said Jayawardena.

The former World Cup losing final captain Jayawardena said that it is difficult to predict anything extravagant about the outcome of the championship, but getting into the final in the last ‘Cup’ campaign was a great opportunity and something that he always cherished, and probably after his first Test match. “I have always dreamt of playing for my country and that’s been the highlight of my career right now,” Mahela said.

Jayawardena further said that the composition of the team was formed with the consent of the selectors and the team management. Stress was laid on the capabilities, and what type of players the side needs for the occasion. That was the prime requirement.

Planning strategy vital

“We have a squad of 15, and from that we have the opportunity of finding the right combination to suit the opposition. Having that in mind we are ready to launch our campaign. But the most important aspect is our performance in the first few matches. To plan out that, we will get together in the next couple of weeks by consulting every player. We know how we fared as a team in the last twelve months or so. With that experience and with some players changing their styles of batting we should consider all these aspects in preparation for this tournament. However, everything should be done for the betterment of the team, with the aim of emerging victorious,” he said. Jayawardena considered playing in a tournament of this magnitude not different from the others. But, thought the style of play is quite different from the other tournaments.

“In the other tournaments we don’t meet as many as fourteen teams as in this World Cup. The teams are in different groups and we may not be able to play against some strong sides. So, without going into extremes we should plan our strategy match by match. Even as a team that should be the attitude. When that is done it is easy to overcome the next hurdle, rather than striving for the World Cup.”

Talking of the venues where the World Cup matches are to be staged Jayawardena seemed to have no complaints.

“At the Khettarama Stadium, a couple of strips have been left for the World Cup which we have not still played on. We only used it for the West Indies Test match, that looked good. They will play the final stages of the Provincial Tournament on that for us to get a better idea of the pitch, plus the matches against the West Indies. The strips at Pallekelle has been pretty good during the last couple of years, we have played quite a bit of cricket, and since then it has not changed, and we got a fairly good idea of that. Unfortunately we have not played any cricket in Hambantota, we have only one game against Canada, which is an important game for us. In the current visit of the West Indies our first game will be at Hambantota, so probably we’ll get a better idea of how it’s going to behave. Generally we have a good idea about the conditions in the country, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. The crowd too will be of great advantage and the atmosphere too will play its part.

Technology right - Mahela

Jayawardena said that he was in favour of the referral system that will be implemented for the first time during the World Cup matches.

“I have always been a firm believer that the technology is right, although some are not one hundred percent accurate. Therefore one cannot use certain things. But there are certain things that can be used to improve cricket in general and decision making. I don’t think that the umpires make bad decisions. They are also humans as well, everyone make mistakes like we do on the field. So if technology could help that situation, I am always for that. We have seen in the last two or three years different series, specially the recently concluded Ashes series the referrals were very good and made a huge difference to the game. So, hopefully it could be a good World Cup with the Referral System,” Jayawardena said.

Comparing the 2007 World Cup team which Mahela captained in the West Indies and reached the final, against Australia, he said that there isn’t much of a difference between the two teams.

“It is a bit different, not much. I think taking the players into account, there are few changes, we have got a very talented set of all-rounders, that has been the big change. We didn’t have an all-rounder who played in the last World Cup. We went with a 7-4 combination, with our part time spinners doing the job for us. But this time we got a couple of all-rounders we could use, Apart from that, the bowling has been pretty good, Ajantha Mendis is always going to be a factor, so is Rangana Herath who has been bowling really well. In batting, we have got some attacking options. In the last World Cup we were more conservative in how we went about, but this time around with the experience we have, we can be more explosive if we want to. Hopefully we can get the right balance in our combination,” Jayawardena quipped.