Sunil Kumara

May 11, 2010
When Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara refuses to admit that his team were overwhelmed by pace and bounce generated by Australia’s fast bowlers on the Kensington Oval pitch in their T20 World Cup 2010 outing, and put down the 81-run defeat to the inability to build partnerships it is a lame excuse as the Lankans were like lambs being slaughtered by the executioners of the best pace attack the world has ever seen since the days of the awesome Windies and names like Walsh, Ambrose, Garner,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Holding, Bishop and co.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the demolishers, crop up in equal intensity despite this beingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the shortest version of the game!
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What acceptance ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ bounce and pace isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sanga talking about ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and what is this adeptness at playingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ such is he refering to alongside his almost whistful reference to partnerships?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Indeed so! there were no partnerships as even the thoughtƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ was crushed by the Aussie pace attack which skittled the Lankans out for 85 like nine pinsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  and they notƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ only bounced out Sangakkara but theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ rest of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ team which not onlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ played far too many circumspectƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ shots and appearedƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to be avoiding being hit by some deliveries clocked at over 153.6Kph rather than hit so forget the partnerships andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ call it a procession of dejected batsmen who could haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ categorically played far better shots than those offered which made the Lankan batsmen look like first timers facing fiery pace and the excuses are unacceptable.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

The common denominator of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  entire Lankan innings was the lack ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ability to play concerted pace and none other regardless of theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ excuses suggesting the inability to build partnerships which are created through focussed batting rather than ineptitude and tentative batting suggesting fly killing rather than ball hitting!
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Once again when Australia were literally on the ropes with half the side out cheap they were let off the hook with crucial chances being missed and Sangakkara’s expected killer instinct taking a vacation beyond the metaphor.
Sri Lanka had their chances to keep Australia down to a small total when they dismissed half the side for 67 by the 11th over, but a crucial miss off Cameron White saw the tide turn against them. White was missed by Ajantha Mendis on 23 when he top edged a sweep off Suraj Randiv, and it took the game away from Sri Lanka bar the shouting from dejected Lankan fans and that just about sums up what seems to be a lackadaisical effort and a resignation totally devoid of the Lankan fighting spirit! together with the incapacity to chase a total ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 169 by an array of world class batsmen at the top!

Guess it’s time to cut the rhetoric and go all out to topple the Indians in the next game, a team which was just about on their way homeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ but have just been given a new lease of life by ~ you guessed it!~ none other than theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankans themselves whoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  now face the prospect of having to beat India on Tuesday to qualify for a semi-final berth.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  India statistically needs to win by over 20 runs and Sri lanka needs to turn on the heat to prevent this.