Sangakkara plays down 'favourites' tag

Sri Lanka's two-in-two record from a tough group may have made them one of the favourites for the World Twenty20 but captain Kumar Sangakkara remained cautious ahead of their opening Super Eights clash against Pakistan at Lord's on Friday.

"We've got a lot of confidence from the last two games," Sangakkara said. "You get momentum when you're winning. But things change quickly in T20. We need to learn from what we have done and start from scratch every game. A five-minute period can change the game's complexion The Pakistan team is very unpredictable and has been so for years. If you are not ready for that and have a few options, you are in for a nasty surprise."

Sri Lanka's bowling has been firing so far, with the spin combination of Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan particularly dangerous. "Spin has been our strength for years," Sangakkara said. "Hopefully, they can keep performing and add new variation to their armoury.

"There are a few bowling options. We have [Farveez] Maharoof and [Nuwan] Kulasekara, the No. 1 bowler in ODI cricket. We need to look at the wicket before deciding on that."

The batting particularly pleased Sangakkara, especially Sanath Jayasuriya's welcome return to form with a masterful innings against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. "He [Jayasuriya] can go on as long as he's fit. It doesn't matter how old you are. In my view, if you are fit, scoring runs, taking wickets and doing the hard work at training, that's what we require. We are happy to have the guys who have experience, that counts a lot.

"You get a good base so that the others can come and build. The way our guys have been batting is very encouraging. Then again we have got the batting to go on even if we don't get a good start like against Australia, but a good start is important."