Arjuna vows to make a comeback (9 November 1998)

9 November 1998

Arjuna vows to make a comeback

By Chris Dhambarage

Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga vowed to make a comeback and win the remaining two matches in an attempt to reach the final of the Coca Cola Trophy triangular limited over cricket tournament at the Sharjah Stadium.

Ranatunga and his men were beaten twice in consecutive days and are also trailing behind India and Zimbabwe on the net run rate. But Ranatunga said that his team is determined to bounce back into recognition and win the title despite the heavy odds against them. He said that the top order batsmen are currently struggling for runs and they have failed to get a good start in both outings. He praised the Zimbabwe side for a tremendous performance and said that they are one of the best fielding sides in the world today.

Sri Lanka will commence their second round matches today with their second match against India and will take on Zimbabwe on the following day to decide the finalists of this tournament which is worth US dollars 85,000. Ranatunga said that they have experienced similar situations in the past too and would go all out to prove themselves as the World champions. He hoped that opener Sanath Jayasuriya would return to form following a disappointing performance in the first round matches. Jayasuriya is currently going through a bad patch and will be quite anxious to come out with a match-winning show.

Ranatunga also praised Aravinda de Silva and Roshan Mahanama for their courageous efforts in the game against Zimbabwe where both compiled two good half centuries. He was quite worried about the injury of ace off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is still recovering from a shoulder injury. He is likely to play in the next two games which is crucial for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka tour manager Ranjith Fernando said that they are still awaiting some medical reports in connection to the sickness of Upul Chandana who missed both matches against India and Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka's bowling looked quite ordinary without Muttiah Muralitharan and Upul Chandana in the game against Zimbabwe who cruised to a seven-wicket victory with four overs to spare.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)