Sangakkara banking on veterans Sanath,Murali and Mahela to deliver in T20 WC

Mahela Jayawardena (left) and Sanath Jayasuriya follow the proceedings at the media launch of a new team sponsor at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters on Tuesday.

The Sri Lanka cricketers led by new captain Kumar Sangakkara will take wing today to England for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament starting on June 5. The Sri Lankans find themselves in a tough group with Australia and West Indies as their opponents. The first hurdle they will have to clear is beating one of these teams, if they are to move on to the Super eight group, the semi-finals and then god willing the final and the trophy. The Lankans play Australia on the 8 and West Indies on the 10 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

Pity that the Lankans have not been given a game at the Kennington Oval or the Mecca of cricket Lord’s. But that is how it goes.Addressing the media at the Cricket Board Headquarterson Tuesday, skipper Sangakkara said that he has the talent and theconfidence to beat their opponents.”

We have some plans and strategies as to how we should go against our opponents. If we play to form,there is no reason why we should not get the better of our opponents. Sangakkara said that in addition to the experienced seniors, he has some highly talented juniors with him. While the opponents will know how the seniors go, it is advantageous to have the juniors, because the opponents will not have a know how of the capabilities of the juniors.

The winners in this style of game are those who execute correctly the needs of this game. There is no time to think, because runs have to be made off each ball, not caring how it comes, but that it comes.When bowling it has to be wicket to wicket and curtailing the batsman’s ability to score.

What is very important is that the fielding, especially the catching be spot on. A big responsibility rests on the broad shoulders of the elder statesman in the team Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya has proved himselfin this style of game and knows how to adjust. He has promised to deliver this time round. Batsmen of the calibre of the

Sanath Jayasuriya

skipper, Tillekeratne Dilshan, former skipper Mahela Jayawardena, Chamara Silva, Indika de Saram and Farveez Mahroof must strike it rich with the bat. The good news is that Mahela Jayawardena is quickly responding to treatment and is fast recovering. “I am still not back to full fitness. But when tournament time comes around, I’ll be raring to go”, said a beaming Jayawardena who was reaching his peak batting form when he suffered a muscle damage.

Lasith Malinga, now that he has regained full fitness and showed good form in the IPL Twenty20 will have to lead the pack of bowlers.

Spinners Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitheran and Sanath Jayasuriya must curb the batsmen. The conditions will be cold, similar to the conditions some of the players experienced in South Africa. The wickets at Trent Bridge will be more swing friendly and while the bowlers will have to have control, the batsmen will have to get in line before executing. The cricketers have been fortunate to have with them the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket D. Somachandra de Silva a former national cap. DeSilva a former leg spinning all-rounder knows what the cricketers need.”

The players must have peace of mind to perform. I have looked into every need of the players and gone out of the way to please them. The players too have confidence in me and together we have formed a good rapport”, said the chairman and advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on cricket. He is confident that the players will mark his appointment as chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket by flying back with the ICC Twenty20 trophy.

The Lankans will not have to worry about security. The organisers have spread out a security blanket and the tournament should go on without a hitch.

"Everybody is safe and okay at the moment" - Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lankan Team attacked in Pak

At least five Sri Lankan cricketers have been injured after gunmen attacked a bus carrying the team on its way to play Pakistan in Lahore.

Thilan Samaraweera, Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Thushara were hurt after around a dozen gunmen opened fire on the team bus as it neared the Gaddafi Stadium.

"We were told that there was a shooting incident while the team was on its way to the stadium. The players have returned to the hotel," Sri Lanka sports minister Gamini Lokuge told Indian news channel CNN-INB.

He added two players were still receiving treatment in hospital, including Samaraweera, who was hit in the thigh."

The Test and the remainder of the Sri Lankan tour has been cancelled, a huge blow to Pakistan after the Indian team pulled out of a tour following the Mumbai terror attacks in November.

Five Pakistani policemen were killed in the attacks and grenades and rocket launchers recovered in what Punjab governor Salmaan Tahseer called "an organised attack".

Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya told CNN-IBN he had spoken to Sangakkara) and "everybody is safe and okay at the moment".

"Mahela Jayawardene was also injured, but they are all safe at the moment," he added.

"When we played three one-day games there we had no problems. That is why the team went back to Pakistan again for the Test series.

"We had a good game in Karachi and then they went to Lahore where this unfortunate incident has happened.

"These are things you cannot control and the players are shocked at the moment. This is obviously something they haven't gone through before as a cricket team. I feel for them."

Jayasuriya continued: "I can't say at the moment what impact this would have on Pakistan cricket, but the priority at the moment is to see that the Sri Lankan players are safe."

Glenn McGrath cites Jayasuriya in his toughest XI batsmen

Glenn McGrath
April 29, 2007

I HAVE been invited for a beer at Mudgee by people I have never met - and I had one Test selector tell me he was disappointed he didn't get the chance to axe me.

It was all part of the fun of the last week of my cricket career.

In truth, leaving the game has not yet hit me. It may not be until Australia plays again, in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September, that it will finally hit home that I will never wear my country's colours again.

Physically and mentally I feel I could play for another two years. But it's time. There are other priorities in my life.

Test selector Merv Hughes, always the prankster, has a unique take on my retirement.

He told me that, as I effectively replaced him in the Test side in 1994, he was looking forward to getting square by sticking the knife in and ending my Test career.

He said he was disappointed I announced my retirement before he had the chance to swoop.

Merv, of course, was only joking, but I am pleased to be bowing out on my terms.

The first thing I want to do is get away from it for a while, unwind and see what options come up and what I want to do.

I do feel I have a role to play in the game, but I want to have six to 12 months away from it first.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper encouraged people to fax the team hotel to wish me all the best and I received some nice telegrams, including a couple from people I knew from my days growing up in Narromine. Another came from a cricket fan in Mudgee, who finished it by saying if I am ever calling through, please give him a bell and he will take me for a beer.

I might just get there.

It was terrific to get those sorts of messages because some time we are so focused on what we are doing, we forget that people outside our bubble are watching us closely and getting a lot of enjoyment from the game of cricket.

I feel pleased that I am leaving the game in good shape because there are a lot of young fast bowlers coming through.

My approach has always been simple. The less complex you make things, the less things can go wrong.

I always tell youngsters if you can bowl 99 balls out of 100 that can hit the top of off-stump, you will take wickets. They always seem disappointed by the simplicity of the advice, but it's the truth.

Finally, I've been privileged to have competed against some fine players in my career.

Here is my toughest XI to play against:

Mike Atherton (England): I respected him and he was one of themost successful opening batsmen of our era, even though Curtly Ambrose and myself had great records against him because he seemed to struggle with our extra bounce.

Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka): Others may have had better records but few were more dangerous. It is always a massive compliment to someone to say they changed the game, and his storming innings in the 1996 World Cup changed everyone's thinking about how to start one-day innings. Great natural flair.

Brian Lara (West Indies): I felt he was just in front of Sachin Tendulkar when at his peak. He was just a naturally gifted player with so much ability. Against spin, he was in a league of his own. No spinner ever had it over him and Muttiah Muralitharan always said he was the toughest he bowled to.

Sachin Tendulkar (India): More technically correct than Lara and on his day could really destroy attacks, but probably did not have as much natural flair as Lara. But who does?

Mentally strong enough to carry the hopes of a billion Indian cricket fans whenever he batted.

Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka): When he got a start on home soil in Sri Lanka you just felt you were never going to get him out. Was excellent for Sri Lanka in a tough era when they did not have the array of talent or experience that they have today.

Andrew Flintoff (England): Just pips Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock and Chris Cairns as an all-rounder because of his heroics against us on the 2005 Ashes tour. To swing the ball both ways at 145kmh throughout lengthy spells was pace bowling at its absolute best.

Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka): Averages in the high 40s with the bat in Test cricket and has also done some great work keeping to Muralitharan. If you have Murali in the team you would go for Kumar as keeper. He is an under-rated player with a great record. He pipped South Africa's Mark Boucher, a solid player for a long time.

Curtly Ambrose (West Indies): With his height, he could really get great bounce and he was one of those special bowlers who always had an extra gear. He barely had a bad day and he enhanced his aura by keeping his distance from opponents, including me.

Wasim Akram (Pakistan): Just a champion for what he could do with the ball. He could swing it at will both ways and the way he powered through the crease made him something to behold. He was on you before you knew it. He wasamazing.

Allan Donald (South Africa): Had great pace and a fine record for South Africa. I always got along well with him and for a long time our records were very similar.

Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka): Simply because of his incredible statistics, he has to go in here. But there were other spinners who I admired, Saqlain Mushtaq, Anil Kumble and Dan Vettori among them.

Sanath Jayasuriya & Kumar Sangakkara| Kookaburra Sports Wallpaper

Found this beauty on the Kookaburra (Pronounced Cook-uh-bar-ra) website both Sanath and Kumar have endorsed Kookaburra's range of products throughout their illustrious careers.









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Images courtesy Kookaburra

Beyond Legendary | Kumar Sangakkara speaks about Sanath Jayasuriya in an article

" Many are the times I have sat in the dressing room, watching Sanath Jayasuriya single-handedly win matches. However, without realising it, we reached the stage, at one point, where our whole confidence hinged on the rise and fall of Sanath. His early dismissal would sow seeds of doubt, and his continued presence in the middle would fuel confidence. We have succeeded now in breaking free of that dependence."