Lusty, lively Lankans loom for SA

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Wellington

THEY have topped 300 three times - twice for the loss of only one wicket - been dismissed twice, once for more than 300, and won three of the five games they have played at the World Cup.

Their opponents have been bowled out twice, reduced to nine wickets once and managed to stop the slide at six wickets in two other games.

They harbour the only batsman who has scored three centuries in the tournament. They also have the bowler who, going into Monday’s action, had the best average and the third-best economy rate and strike rate among those who have played more than one match.

Kumar Sangakkara and Ajantha Mendis are those players, but they are only two of the reasons Sri Lanka are a formidable team; a side SA are likely to face in the quarter-finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground next Wednesday.

The Lankans’ loss to Australia in Sydney on Sunday in their penultimate group match means they are on course to finish third in pool A, with SA likely to hang onto second spot in pool B.

A Sri Lankan win would have put them in second place in the pool and all but secured a quarter-final between Australia and SA in Adelaide next Friday.

Considering SA have won just one of the five World Cup games they have played against the Aussies since 1992 and lost only one of their four against the Lankans, a date with the latter is probably the better bet for AB de Villiers’ men.

That said, SA had never lost a World Cup match to India or Pakistan going into this edition of the tournament - and those are the only teams who have beaten them so far this time.

Not that that kind of nitpicking meant much to Sachithra Senanayake. “We aren’t worried about (finishing third instead of second),” he said after the loss to Australia. “The thing is we are already in the (knockout rounds).

“The first round is all over now, even though we have one match left (against Scotland in Hobart tomorrow). Once the (knockout matches) start, that will be the World Cup.”

That will also be when the realisation kicks in hard that Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who have defined Sri Lankan cricket for more than 10 years and played 848 one-day internationals between them, are involved in their last World Cup.

“We will miss them very badly after the World Cup,” Senanayake said. “We know that Sangakkara and Jayawardene are out legends. They are the most experienced players in Sri Lanka, so we have to do something for them. This World Cup will be the most important thing for us, actually.”

SA, who also do not lack motivation to win the tournament having never done so, are no slouches themselves. They have also totalled more than 300 three times, and two of those innings have soared past 400. They have been bowled out twice, for less and just more than 200, and dismissed their opponents four times out of five.

Discounting Monday’s game between England and Bangladesh in Adelaide, SA are the only country with two players - De Villiers and Hashim Amla - among the top five runscorers, and they have the tournament’s fifth-most successful bowler in Morne Morkel.

SA have conceded more than 300 once, while Sri Lanka have given up that many runs three times. Curiously, then, none of SA’s bowlers feature in the top five in terms of average, economy rate or strike rate.

But SA’s focus will be on batting in their last pool game against the United Arab Emirates in Wellington on Thursday. That’s what needs fixing, and this is their last chance to do so.