Sri Lanka march to semifinal in style

NOTTINGHAM, June 16 (PTI): Ajantha Mendis spun a web around New Zealand as a clinical Sri Lanka stormed into the semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup, thumping the Kiwis by 48 runs in a crucial Super Eight match here today.

Mendis (3/9) ran through New Zealand’s middle order to trigger a batting collapse as the Kiwis, in their pursuit of a 159-run victory target, were bundled out for 110 runs in 17 overs.

It was an abject batting capitulation by the New Zealand with just three batsmen — Martin Guptill (43 off 34 balls), Aaron Redmond (23) and Brendon McCullum (10) — managing double figures as their last eight wickets fell for just 48 runs.

Earlier opting to bat, Mahela Jayawardene struck an unbeaten 41 while Tillakaratne Dilshan’s made a classy 48 to help Sri Lanka post 158 for five on the board.

Defending the total, Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara’s experiment to start with Sanath Jayasuriya did not really click as Redmond got New Zealand off to a flier, picking up 14 runs of the third over.

Redmond clobbered Jayasuriya for three successive boundaries and then followed it up with a six over long-off.

But Isuru Udana struck gold in the next over, getting the crucial wicket of McCullum, caught by Jehan Mubarak.

Lasith Malinga then foxed dangerous Redmond with a slower full toss and Chamara Silva made no mistake to end the right-hander’s 13-ball stay.

Mendis then proved why he is regarded so highly in world cricket, getting the wickets of Ross Taylor (8) and Scott Styris (2) in his opening over to deal twin blows.

He foxed Taylor with his first ball of the match and Sangakkara completed an easy stumping and then disturbed Styris’ timber with the fourth delivery.

Guptill, however, carried on the fight single-handedly and hit Dilshan over the short long-off fence.

Udana struck in the last ball off the 13th over, clean bowling Jacob Oram and then Jayasuriya drived the final nail in New Zealand’s coffin, getting the vital wicket of Guptil caught by Angelo Mathews at deep backward square leg.

Mendis picked up his third wicket when he made Peter McGlashan to edge one straight to Mubarak at backward point.

As if it was not enough, Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills ran themselves out and then Daniel Vettori fell to Muttiah Muralitharan.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jun1709/Sports1

Sri Lanka hope to sing Jaya ho

By the time the World Twenty20 event in England comes to an end, Sanath Jayasuriya will only be a month away from his 40th birthday. It will, in all probability, be the last world event the left-hander might play.

Today, Jayasuriya might be a much older man with slower reflections and instincts a bit rounded. But, if Sri Lanka would as much as dare to win the trophy in England, he’s their biggest hope once again.

At the start, where Jayasuriya’s so good with the new ball, if he manages to simply stand in the middle for 10 overs in crucial games, captain Kumara Sangakkara needn’t ask for more.

A career strike rate of 92.13 in 434 One-Day Internationals hardly deserves an explanation either. Then there are those who can add meat to the backbone that the southpaw is.

There’s Sangakkara himself along with Mahela Jayawardene--free from the burden of captaincy and T Dilshan—Lanka’s next best bet after Jayasuriya.

The attack is equally good with Muralitharan in raging form and Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis to back him. So, if Jayasuriya gets going, needless to say Sri Lanka automatically turn favourites.

Squad: Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Indika de Saram, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jehan Mubarak, T Dilshan, Ferveez Mahroof, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Angelo Matthews, Chamara Silva, Thilan Tushara, Isuru Udana

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Sri-Lanka-hope-to-sing-Jaya-ho/articleshow/4614565.cms

Terror attack adds new dimension to captain's role: Sangakkara

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Colombo, Mar 13 (PTI) Newly appointed captain Kumar Sangakkara has said his role as a leader got a special dimension to work on Sri Lankan players' mental framework following the recent terror attack on them in Lahore.

The 31-year-old said every one had to fire up before the Twenty20 World Cup in England and the focus was not just on cricketing skills but "group mentality".

"With what the team has undergone in the last two weeks there is a special significance and dimension to that (captain's) responsibility," he said after taking over as the captain from Mahela Jayawardene.

"It is not just about our cricketing skill now, but our group mentality and the need to ensure everyone is firing for the World Twenty20 in England," he said.

"We really have to sit down and have a very honest and open discussion about whether what has happened will change the players in any way, to talk about their families and whether we can take something good from what has happened in Lahore," he told 'Al Jazeera'.

The veteran of 80 Tests and 246 one-day internationals was among the six players injured in the Lahore attack and was hospitalised after the 25-member team was flown home last Wednesday. PTI