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| April 01, 2007 | Sunday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1428 |
Must-win West Indies face tough task against Sri Lanka
PROVIDENCE (Guyana), March 31: West Indies captain Brian Lara is looking forward to an improved performance from his batsmen in the crucial World Cup Super Eights match against Sri Lanka here at the Providence Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts find themselves in a must-win situation early in the second round after losing to defending champions Australia and New Zealand. They have just two points from three matches, courtesy of a win over fellow-qualifers Ireland in the first round.The West Indies can't afford another failure in their remaining four matches against South Africa, England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“We are down to the fighting part of the tournament now. We've got four games left and we have to win all of them to qualify,” said Lara.
The West Indies had begun the tournament on an impressive note when they qualified for the second round with an all-win record, but were found wanting in their opening two big matches in the Super Eights.
Match starts at 6:30pm (PST)
Expected weather: 28 degrees Centigrade with humid with chance of showers.
Pitch report: Hard and brown, something for both batsmen and bowlers.
The West Indies were let down by batting as they failed to cross the 220-mark against both Australia and New Zealand. Lara alone looked in form, scoring 77 against Australia and 37 against New Zealand.
Their top-order batsmen have yet to fire, with Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul still without a half-century after two Super Eights matches.
“We are just not playing well as a team, especially in batting department.
If we are going to win the World Cup, it's not just going to be one or two of them, or just me. It has to be the entire team,” said the West Indies captain.
The West Indies may have won 24 of their 42 One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka, but have to raise the level of their all-round performance against a team which have been competing hard in the ongoing tournament.
They will not like to remember their last clash against Sri Lanka when they were shot out for a meagre 80 before suffering a nine-wicket defeat in the ICC Champions Trophy match at Mumbai in India last year.
Sri Lanka also advanced to the second round with an all-win record before losing their first match here against South Africa, but had the consolation of making their opponents struggle for victory.
South Africa were comfortably placed at 206-5 before nearly choking against paceman Lasith Malinga, who became the first bowler in the one-day history to take four wickets off successive balls.
Sri Lanka lost the tense match by one wicket, but Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said he was pleased with the way his side had fought back.
“Those things will haunt us, but there are positives to take in that we never gave up and we came back strongly,” he said.
“We fought really well and the credit goes to the bowlers who did very well. So for us, it is about concentrating on those positives and looking forward.”
Sri Lanka will look to their bowlers, especially spinners, to keep the pressure on the West Indies who have been struggling with their batting in the second round.
Ace off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan looked impressive on the Providence Stadium pitch which also favoured slow bowlers, finishing with 3-34 off 10 overs against South Africa.
Left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya and off-spinner Tillekeratne Dilshan are also capable of containing runs in the middle overs, ensuring the West Indies will face a testing time in their vital game.
Teams (from):
SRI LANKA: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Marvan Atapattu, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Malinga Bandara.
WEST INDIES): Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Ian Bradshaw, Corey Collymore, Jerome Taylor, Denesh Ramdin, Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Daren Powell, Kieron Pollard.Umpires: Mark Benson (England) and Daryl Harper (Australia).
TV umpire: Simon Taufel (Australia).
Reserve umpire: Steve Bucknor (West Indies).
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).—AFP
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