Though going through an initial batting spasm by losing its entire top order with the scoreboard reading a bleak 5-65 and making only a moderate 132 for 7, Sri Lanka pulled off a good 37 run win against Pakistan on Friday.
Today, they go into the second T-20 game at the same venue knowing that they would not lose the series, which they lead 1-0, from this point onwards.
However the IPL stars- skipper Mahela Jayawardena, T.M. Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara-will have to look inwards and question themselves and their application. All were victims of left-arm wrong-foot speedster Sohail Tanvir, who at one point reduced the Lankans to a bleak 3-31.
Yet the two old Joes Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews set up a partnership to stop the opposition.
What Sohail did to the Lankans Nuwan Kulasekera did to the visitors, capturing the wickets of skipper Mohammed Hafeez and Shakeel Ansar before Pakistan had scored even a single run.
Though the Lankans do not have any injury problems, there was an early buzz about charmed Chamara Kapugedera being included in the playing eleven this evening. Kapugedera, who played his last T-20 international in October 2010 against Australia in Perth in which he did not even bat, may come in at the expense of either Kaushal Lokuarachchi or Dinesh Chandimal. Kapugedera, who also bowls at a gentle medium pace, was seen at the Hambantota nets on Saturday morning. |
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