SRI LANKA’S HOPE FOR FINAL ROUND

If India wins today with a bonus point against Sri Lanka, it will be India who will play in the best of ‘three’ finals against Australia:

In the Commonwealth Bank sponsored “tri’ series cricket tournament now in the final qualifying stages, to enter the ‘best of three’ finals, Sri Lanka has to win at any cost. It is hence a very decisive match for Sri Lanka today when both teams play each other in the 11th qualifying match at Hobart, play commencing at 8.50 a.m. local time.
If Sri Lanka wins today they will meet hosts Australia in the ‘best of three’ finals. If India wins today it has to be with the ‘Bonus point’, that is India has to win in 40 overs by batting second. Of course there is one more match remaining for Sri Lanka in the qualifying round as they have to play Australia in the final 12th qualifying match against Australia on the 2nd of March at the MCG. In that event even if India win with a bonus point today and if Sri Lanka beats Australia in the final qualifying match India will then have to bow out of the ‘best of three’ finals.
In the context of the above it is most likely that Sri Lanka will play hosts Australia in the ’best of three’ finals in the ‘tri’ series tournament. These facts were studied carefully by M.S.Dhoni, the Indian captain at the press conference that was held prior to the commencement of the crucial match.
Zaheer Khan the premier paceman of India was out of several matches owing to a knee injury is likely to play today. The advise skipper Dhoni has given to his bowlers is to restrict Sri Lanka to 200 runs and field well. M.S.Dhoni is making his own strategic methods of how to beat Sri Lanka with the all important bonus point. Players of the calibre of Suresh Raina, Rohith Sharma,Virendra Sewag and Ravindra Jadeja had not lived up to expectations had been a concern for the Indian skipper.
In the batting Department of all three sides only two players have stood outstanding scoring over 300 runs. Sri Lanka’s 22 year old promising youngster Dinesh Chandimal is the leading run getter having scored 338 runs with 3 half centuries while Mr Cricket of Australia, Michael Hussey is the only other batsman in the tournament who had scored over 300 runs. As for Sri Lanka Dinesh Chandimal he is the ‘find’ of the tour.
It has to be emphasised that Tissara Perera and Angelow Mathews have impressed and contributed to the team as genuine all rounders on several occasions when the team needed their services. These two players need to be hailed for our success in this ‘tri’ series tournament.
In the bowling department Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekera had been most outstanding. The former had captured 9 wickets while the latter had captured 7 wickets averaging 33.66 and 34.85 respectively. Farveef Maharoof and Rangana Herath who played in a fewer number of matches had contributed their share in the bowling Department to the team during our victories.