No favours for Sri Lanka today
The West Indies will have to counter the threat of Murali, Mendis and Malinga. However, the match is merely for Group C bragging rights
Sri Lanka did the West Indies a favour by whipping Australia on Monday-but the Caribbean side will look to bite the hand of their benefactors today.
Both teams have already qualified for the Super Eight of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 World Championships and will meet in their final Group C match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Captain Chris Gayle is expected to take a fitness test on a sore knee before the start of play but his absence from the team will not constitute a major blow since the West Indies will play either England or defending champions, India on Friday.
The Windies and Sri Lanka both, convincingly. defeated Australia, one of the favourites, booting them out of the competition.
Gayle’s thunderous batting made all the difference in the Windies’ victory but Sri Lanka’s spin duo of Muttiah Muralitaran and Ajantha Mendis supported by the lethal pace of Lasith Malinga represent a major challenge for the Caribbean batters, particularly, if Gayle sits the match out.
Mendis bamboozled the Aussies snaring 3 for 20 while Malinga who has a slinging action similar to that of Fidel Edwards took 3 for 36 clean bowling two of his victims.
It promises to be a fascinating encounter and will simply decide bragging rights for Group C.
The West Indies will have to improve on their ground fielding and catching- an area that has been an embarrassment for the past weeks they have been in England.
Bad fielders, of course, cannot be transformed overnight and it looks like it would be another cold June day in Nottingham today.
If they can reproduce Saturday’s form, Sri Lanka will certainly be second best.