Sri Lanka face their moment of truth (22 May 1999)

22 May 1999

Sri Lanka face their moment of truth

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Worcester, Friday - Sri Lanka will know whether they can still be called 'world champs' when they face their moment of truth in a do-or-die Group 'A' World Cup match against Zimbabwe at New Road here tomorrow.

Defeat for them here would close the door to their chances of qualifying for the second stage of the competition - the Super Six, where only the top three teams in each of the two groups qualify.

South Africa are leading the group followed by England and Zimbabwe. Each of the teams have recorded two victories apiece and have four points each with only net run rate separating them.

The only consolation Sri Lanka can take to the Zimbabwe game is that their performances so far in the tournament, although dismal, has been against the two top nations in the group - South Africa and England.

Unless our cricket has really hit rock bottom there is no excuse why we can't turn the tide against Zimbabwe, who don't have the sort of bowling line-up that South Africa has.

The biggest disappointment for Sri Lanka is their front-line batting which has failed miserably in the two matches.

"There is nothing wrong with our technique, it only needs adjusting according to the conditions. The batsmen are experienced enough to go and adjust themselves. Everything is in their mind. They can't just go out there and play loose shots. We can't play for them, they should have the guts to occupy the crease," said Sri Lanka cricket manager Somachandra de Silva.

"We can't afford to lose too many wickets in the first 15 overs. The batsmen should know by now that the hard white ball moves around a lot in the initial overs and it is very difficult to play shots," said de Silva.

"Zimbabwe is a very important game and we have to win it somehow. We have done well in the two departments we were lacking in before we came to England - fielding and bowling, but if we are to do well we must be consistent in all three departments," he said.

De Silva said that everything is coming good for the team with the exception of batting. "Batsmen like Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva can't fail all the time. A big score from them is overdue," he said.

Marvan Atapattu will be lucky if he retains his position at No. 3 for the Zimbabwe game, because there is a likelihood of Mahela Jayawardene being slotted in there. Atapattu has got out to irresponsible shots in both games and his position is under review.

Sri Lanka are likely to open the batting with Roshan Mahanama, having realised their folly of promoting Romesh Kaluwitharana to that position in the game against South Africa.

"Romesh was the only batsman in form and we thought if he could give us a good start with Sanath the rest of the players would get the confidence to put pressure on the South African bowlers. But the gamble didn't work," said de Silva.

In the last World Cup game played here last Sunday, Australia and Scotland batsmen struggled against seam and swing and Sri Lanka may have to opt for an additional seamer.

Sri Lanka played leg-spinner Upul Chandana ahead of fast bowler Erik Upashantha in the game against South Africa and according to De Silva the reason to play Chandana was to strengthen the batting. "South Africa was an important game for us and we thought if we were to win it we should strengthen our batting," said de Silva.

Zimbabwe captain Alistair Campbell expects a backlash from the defending champions.

"This is going to be big game for us as they have lost both matches. We could face the backlash of it all. If we are not careful they could pull the carpet from under our feet," said Campbell.

"We will draw strength for this all important clash having secured wins in the two back to back clashes with Sri Lanka at Sharjah last year," said Campbell.

"We don't mind not having all the fanfare that the other sides have. We know when we set out, what we want to do here. The other sides have played enough against us to know we can play decent cricket. They won't be underestimating us," he said.

Zimbabwe who are 80-1 outsiders with the bookmakers to win the tournament have a very good chance of making it into the Super Six having already secured four points beating Kenya and India in the competition. They came into the tournament with only three wins from 25 World Cup matches.

"It just goes to show the strength of the individuals in our team. What we are showing now is all the hard work we've put together over the years. For some of the players this could be there last hurrah," said Campbell.

Sri Lanka (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama, Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Pramodya Wickremasinghe, Muthiah Muralitharan, Upul Chandana, Erik Upashantha, Chandika Hathurusingha.

Zimbabwe (from): Alistair Campbell (captain), Neil Johnson, Grant Flower, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower, Guy Whittall, Stuart Carlisle, Paul Strang, Heath Streak, Andy Whittall, Mpemelelo Mbganwa, Henry Olonga, Eddo Brandes.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and David Shepherd (England).
TV Umpire: Mervyn Kitchen (England).
Match Referee: Talat Ali (Pakistan).

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