 The abandonment last night was a great shame for everyone and really frustrating for us. With Sanga batting sublimely after the early loss of Upul and Dilshan, he was controlling the innings brilliantly with help from Tilan and steering us towards what would have been a competitive total on a turning pitch.
However, there is no point in us dwelling too much on it. The fact is that the points were shared and we now need to focus on beating both Zimbabwe and New Zealand to book ourselves into the Quarter Finals. I would, though, like to thank everyone who came to Premadasa last night because the atmosphere was sensational. We really appreciate your support.
Ireland’s win against England is a reminder to all teams that reputation or past performance is irrelevant these days and all that what really matters is how you perform on the day. I thought the Niall O’Brien-powered Irish were sensational in Mohali last week and they deserved their moment of glory and a place in World Cup history.
Their performance will rightly stir the debate about whether or not it was right for the ICC to reduce the number of associate nations in the 2015 World Cup. We currently have 14 teams in this tournament and I quite like the format, but there is also a counter argument that despite Ireland’s stunning coup there have been too many one-sided matches.
I believe the ICC’s current plan for 2015 is to revert back to the successful 1992 ten-team format with all teams playing each other, although this is to be discussed in May. Getting the balance right is tricky given the ICC’s responsibility to develop the game globally and help committed associated nations become full international teams.
My personal view is that we need to make sure upcoming associate teams are given the chance to develop and that means they have to participate in as many big events and quality tours as possible. If the consensus from the sponsors, broadcasters and fans is that we need a slimmed down World Cup then we have to give emerging nations more support in return. That means more access to the World Twenty20, which has already been confirmed, and more tours and series around the world so their cricketers get more exposure and experience.
After the disappointment of losing to Pakistan last Saturday, Lasith Malinga’s spectacular return to the team against Kenya during the week was the perfect pick-me-up for all Sri Lankans. It was a fantastic effort and another reminder of what a true champion he is. His value as a limited overs bowler in these conditions, especially in the middle and latter part of the innings is huge.
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| Lasith Malinga is all smiles after the hat-trick and is being mobbed by his team-mates. |
Given that we were missing Lasith against Pakistan, it was a pretty good performance I thought from the bowlers against Pakistan. We bowled a few too many loose balls early on perhaps, which allowed Pakistan some momentum, but on the whole we restricted Pakistan to a very achievable target on what was an excellent batting pitch.
The spinners in particular, Murali and Rangana (Herath), were superb and they made run-scoring difficult for the Pakistan middle order, dragging us back into the contest. Having said that, the batting of Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq was both very skilful and responsible.
Sadly we failed to build a partnership of similar quality, although our openers Tharanga and Dilshan came close with a fine opening stand. Having made such a good start it was really frustrating to lose four wickets so quickly and allow the initiative to swing so emphatically towards Pakistan.
How we build partnerships in our remaining matches will be critical to how we progress in this tournament.
The Kenya game was a pleasing comeback. We were fairly disciplined in the field and that made run scoring difficult for the Kenya batsmen after early strikes with the new ball. The confident manner in which we chased down the total was also very encouraging. Hopefully, we can continue to be positive in the days ahead. |
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