Lankans upbeat; set for do-or-die battles
View(s):No second chances – now its sudden death. The Lankan team arrived in Sydney after their Hobart win over Scotland via Melbourne and are now in preparation for their tie against South Africa though it has not been officially announced by the ICC as yet. In all probability it may be today, after all preliminary games are over.
Though the Lankan batting and the other two departments have been sitting in three different corners of the room, the Lankan tour management looked quite upbeat and ready for the battles ahead.“This is the best talent we’ve got and we have to maximise on it”. “Always you cannot expect all guns to fire at the same intensity, there are highs and lows. The magic in this business is how you blend them effectively to get the results in your favour. And so far we have been successful in that endeavour” said a senior member in the Lankan cricket management who believes that they can take it to the wire once again.
“You must be aware of your strengths and limitations and must understand how much pressure that each of these departments could withstand. For instance so far the most effective has been the batting department. So we have to maximise on it and let the other departments weave their game around it,” the spokesman said further.
Kumar Sangakkara has taken the Lankan batting into new heights with his history making row of centuries. Opener T.M. Dilshan has complemented Sangakkara by scoring two centuries while Lahiru Thirimanne and veteran Mahela Jayawardena has scored one each. He said the top of the batting order is firing and they have to discuss as to how they are going to plan their inning. “We know that our numbers 8,9,10 and 11 are weak in their batting and we should know how many balls out of the given 300 they could manage. That is how we have been successful so far. Knowing our limitations has been the cornerstone”.
The biggest worry in the Lankan camp is the finger injury to their spin ace Rangana Herat. The cut he sustained while fielding a ball off his own bowling during the Australian match resulted in a split in his index finger in the bowling arm, which was put together with three stitches. Initially the reports said that the bowler would be out of action for ten days, but, by Friday, Herath was back with the doctor, with the wound showing some festering.
The other worry in the Lankan camp is the indifferent form of Thisara Perera who is expected to do multi-tasking with his all-round abilities. He is expected to head the seam attack in the middle overs and assist to keep a check on the run-rate, but, this has not been happening. Perera is also expected to man the number seven position in batting and hold the Lankan batting together with the late order – a task that he managed superbly during the Lankan tour of Bangladesh early last year which culminated in Sri Lanka winning its second world title in cricket – the ICC T-20 tournament. Yet, in this tournament it happened only on one occasion.
This situation has worried the chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya. He said, “It was a golden opportunity for Thisara in our match against Australia. We were well within the asking rate and had ten more overs, but he fluffed it with the wrong shot selection. If we drop him we would have to play seven solid batsmen and play the four bowlers.”
However this means there would be more pressure on T.M. Dilshan and Angelo Mathews – who have just overcome an Achilles scare. They would be compelled to share the remaining ten overs. Indeed a very dicey situation to be in.
In the upbeat, temperamental Lasith Malinga has been improving in every game and he is closing upon his best. His peaking at the right time is a plus point for the Lankan camp. Even Dushmantha Chameera bowling at 145+ impressed, even though went for a few. He is a wicket taking bowler and had obliged his management every time that he has been given the opportunity. But, would the Lankan management take the challenge especially in a quarter-final game of an ICC World Cup. Yet, Suranga Lakmal has not recovered from his injury and is scheduled to go in for further surgery as soon as this tournament is over. He also has been pitiful as a fielder.
Yet the Lankan management is mindful of the situation and is ready to take up the South African challenge if it is so. The Cricket Management insider said, “We have beaten them on many occasions in recent times. The boys are adamant and are aware of the real situation; moreover they are ready for what is ahead of them. That is encouraging.”The crux of the matter is that this is not new terrain for the Lankan lads. They have been down this alley several times before – it is a feeling of Déjà vu.
Prize money
A total of USD $10 million will be available, which is an increase of 25 per cent over the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Should a team at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 win the tournament without losing a match, it will receive total prize money of USD $4,020,000, while a team that loses one match on the way to winning the tournament will receive USD $3,975,000.
The breakdown of the
prize money is:
Winner – USD$3,750,000
Runner-up – USD$1,750,000
Losing semi-finalists (two) – USD$600,000
Losing quarter-finalists (four) – USD$300,000