Arjuna Ranatunga’s team won the country’s first ever world cricket title when they beat Australia at Lahore to lift the ICC limited-over cricket World Cup in 1996. Now Kumar Sangakkara, another left-hand batsman like Ranatunga is on the verge of bringing home a second world title home for the country.
The ICC could not have asked for a better final than Sri Lanka and Pakistan, two teams oozing with boundless talent and coupled with experience. Both sides play with a lot of flair and a great contest is expected. In this type of contest where one mistake can cost you the match, the side that can hold its nerve and be mentally strong will end up the winners.
Sri Lanka has in their run up to the final shown they not only have the nerve and courage to extract themselves out of situations but also the verve to go the full distance. As skipper Sangakkara summarised: “We came here to win and we are capable of going all the way to achieve it.
“It would be a fitting reward for the courage of the team and the way they have played in this tournament if we can win the final. What the Lahore terror experience really brought home to us was that we are just the same as anyone else. It happens to everyone and it happened to us,” said Sangakkara. “It’s great the way our guys have prepared mentally after that experience, the way they have gone out and showed no fear and performed and played cricket. They have just been able to focus and concentrate on cricket and it would be a fitting reward for that attitude,” he said.
Sri Lanka remains the only unbeaten team in the tournament having crushed all opposition they have met quite convincingly recording six wins out of six. Australia, West Indies (twice), Pakistan, Ireland and New Zealand have felt the impact of the Sri Lankan juggernaut as it steam-rolled its way to the final carrying all before them. Ranatunga’s World Cup winning side of 1996 were also unbeaten throughout the competition winning all five matches including the final.
Having beaten Pakistan in the Super Eight Sangakkara said does not essentially give his side a psychological advantage. “We played Pakistan many times before in T20 games and every single game you have to take in isolation. Patterns change, the game changes, different players come in at different times. If you try to keep on going on form and on the past you can get surprised. We are just going to prepare ourselves to meet any challenges and hopefully put up a good performance and walk out with maybe the trophy.
“Pakistan is a great side. We haven’t met them in a big final before. We look forward to a good contest. We had great cricketing relations and they are a great side and a great bunch of players on the field and off it. We are looking forward to a good contest.”
One of the key Pakistani players Sri Lanka will be taking note of is Shahid Afridi who after a slow beginning to the tournament has started to peak at the right time.
“Afridi is a guy who can take the game away in a few overs. We can’t get caught with just one player. We’ll discuss a few plans for him how we can get him out early or if he stays for a while how we can minimise the damage. We’ll be thinking about Afridi and all the Pakistani players but more importantly we’ll be focusing on what we are going to do on Sunday. We want to make sure that we have a lot of self-belief and confidence walking out into the final,” said Sangakkara.
What has made Sangakkara’s job easy in his debut as captain is that his outstandingly talented team does not rely on one player to win matches for them. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has been exceptional in the batting but the occasions he fails there have been others to rally around and ensure the team gets to the total they can defend. Sanath Jayasuriya although overshadowed by Dilshan has played his part, so has Mahela Jayawardene, Sangakkara and to a lesser extent Jehan Mubarak and Chamara Silva. All-rounder Angelo Mathews and left-arm fast bowler Isuru Udana have been the real ‘finds’ for Sri Lanka in this tournament. The bowling no doubt has been the key to Sri Lanka’s success. They have easily the best balanced attack in the entire competition capable of restricting sides to any total under 140. The variety in the bowling line up is what any captain would dream of having – the sheer pace of Lasith Malinga, the probing seam of Mathews, the cleverly disguised slow deliveries of Udana supported by the spin threat of Muthiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis makes the Lankan bowling line-up look quite a formidable one. They have been performing so well as a unit that, players in the calibre of Nuwan Kulasekera, the No. 1 ranked one-day bowler, all-rounder Farveez Maharoof, batsman Indika de Saram and fast bowler Thilan Thushara have not been able to cement a place in the side for the tournament.
“When you have the names that I have in my side captaincy becomes very easy,” said Sangakkara. “They make me look a lot better than I really am. If they can keep doing that I can get carried along with the great performances of the guys in the team.”
Sri Lanka has played in a final at Lord’s once before and emerged victorious. That was in 1998 when Sri Lanka beat England in the Emirates triangular final by five wickets. Marvan Atapattu scored a superb unbeaten 132 not out on that occasion to win the Player of the Series award and Muralitharan took five wickets for 32 to take the Player of the Match award.
[Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan acknowledges applause from the crowd as he walks off with an unbeaten 96 at the end of his side's innings during the semi final Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies at The Oval cricket ground in London, Friday June 19, 2009.]Good for game if Pakistan wins – Younus
Younus Khan, the Pakistan skipper said it would be good for the game if his team can win the World T20 final. “I come from the North and that’s where all the problems are. It’s very important that we win so the people back home can be happy,” said Younus. “Ever Since Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 I have been dreaming of winning a World Cup. Now I am here and I can realise that dream.”
Younus said that if Pakistan wins they would dedicate it to their former and late coach Bob Woolmer who played a big part in moulding the side.
Pakistan will look upto their two stars Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi to deliver them the T20 World Cup. Fast bowler Umar Gul whose peerless death bowling remains one of the reasons why Pakistan have the potential to go one step better than their runner-up position in the 2007 final. He is joint leading wicket-taker in the tournament on 12 wickets with Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga and Saeed Ajmal. All-rounder Shahid Afridi whose big game mentality and bamboozling leg-spin is the other having struck form at the right time for Pakistan.
Younus admitted that Sri Lanka had a very balanced side with fantastic spinners but added that they were not worried about the spinners. “No one thought that spinners could play a role in Twenty20 cricket. Both teams have spinners who have a role to play.”
 Sri Lanka is one match away from winning their second World Cup in cricket when they meet familiar foe...){kind=link}
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