Pedigreed Sri Lanka eye second WC triumph
New Delhi: For a nation that played its first two World Cups as a non-Test-playing nation, it was nothing short of a shock for the world when Sri Lanka turned the tables and grabbed everybody's attention by the throat with their 1996 triumph.
The island nation went from strength to strength therafter, reaching the semifinals in 2003 and ending up runners-up in 2007.
Turning over the pages of Sri Lanka's transformation, it's hard to ignore the two mavericks who gave a new face to Sri Lankan cricket - Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana. They changed the way one-day cricket was approached, causing scorers and opponents to lose hair over the rate with which the duo scored their runs, in partnership and individually.
Though their explosive starts - which forced Manoj Prabhakar to bowl spin - are part of the folklore now, Sri Lanka are now always looked upon as strong contenders in the one-day competition and they know more than a thing or two about winning the World Cup.
Sri Lanka's candidature as one of the semifinalists gains muscle with the fact that they are the co-host of the limited-over extravaganza, along with India and Bangladesh. With the dice loaded in their favour in home conditions and their ability to peak at the right moment, Sri Lanka are poised to present one of the most stiff challenges in the tournament.
The island nation has a knack of producing talented youngsters whenever the need arises, which is the reason why they never felt any void with the retirement of gamechangers like Aravinda DeSilva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Kaluwitharna, Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas.
Looking at the period when these greats phased out, the baton was successfully passed over to Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lasitha Malinga and of late, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews and Ajantha Mendis.
The abundance of talent in Sri Lanka becomes even more evident when one comes to know that they have left out veterans like Jayasuriya and Vaas from their World Cup squad and have quality players to fill those big shoes.
Talking in particular about Kumar Sangakkara, his three-in-one role of batsman, wicketkeeper and captain provides the islanders with an option to play an extra batsman or extra bowler. But thankfully for the team, Mathews' all-round abilties have spared Sangakkara the task of breaking his head over that selection.
Going back to the 2007 edition in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka quietly sneaked into the final when everybody's focus was on other sides. And while they played a forgettable final against Australia, the revenge came three years later in 2010 when they registered their maiden ODI series win Down Under.
The island dwellers will surely take that confidence into the 2011 World Cup, where they are placed in Group A along with Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada. They open their campgain against the lowly Canadians in Hambantota on February 20, with five of their six league engagements scheduled to be played at home and one in Mumbai, India.
The World Cup, in all probability, will be the swan song for the off-spin icon Muttiah Muralitharan, who quit Test cricket last year with a record 800 wickets and is also the leading ODI wicket-taker with 517 victimis to his credit.
Just like Indian players want to make this World Cup a memorable one for Sachin Tendulkar, the Sri Lankans too would want to gift Murali his second World Cup trophy.
Schedule:
February 20: Sri Lanka vs Canada at Hambantota
February 26: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan at Colombo
March 1: Sri Lanka vs Kenya at Colombo
March 5: Sri Lanka vs Australia at Colombo
March 10: Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe at Pallekele
March 18: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand at Mumbai
Squad:
Kumar Sangakkara (c/wk), Mahela Jayawardene (vc), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga
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