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| April 03, 2007 | Tuesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428 |
Jayawardene owes it to seasoned veteran
PROVIDENCE, April 2: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to opener Sanath Jayasuriya for helping him return to his big-scoring ways in the World Cup victory over the West Indies.
After failing in the last two matches, Jayawardene scored a solid 82 against the West Indies on Sunday and shared a 183-run stand with Jayasuriya.
“Obviously, Sanath took a lot of pressure off me. He gave me the freedom to play risk-free, as straight as much as possible and just occupy the crease,” said the Sri Lanka skipper.
Jayawardene said Jayasuriya had been something special.
“I have seen quite a lot from Sanath, but I would rank this as one of the best. He has done it not just against small teams, in low-key tournaments, but in big tournaments, under pressure. That's what makes him so special.”
The Sri Lanka skipper admitted he would have fielded first had he won the toss after a rain-delayed start.
“I lost a difficult toss. That is the difficult part of this tournament. You can't play for the toss. Obviously, if I had won the toss, I would have fielded in those conditions.”
He dismissed suggestions of any planning behind West India captain Brian Lara's dismissal, a bizarre stumping off paceman Chaminda Vaas.
“It was not planned,” he said of Lara's dismissal for two. —AFP
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