Jayawardene wary of Kenya nightmare repeat

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene admitted that Kenya, who defeated his team in a 2003 World Cup triumph, still have players to cause another shock when the two meet tomorrow.

Eight years ago, Sri Lanka lost by 53 runs to Kenya as the unheralded Africans went on to reach the semi-finals.

Jayawardene is one of three survivors from that game, along with captain Kumar Sangakkara and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

“We know all about the embarrassment of losing to Kenya after that debacle in Nairobi back in 2003 and they have some useful players in their ranks,” said Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka go into the Group A match on the back of an 11-run defeat to Pakistan with former captain Jayawardene urging his team to stay focused.

‘We need ICC’s help’

Meanwhile, Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears said that their dismal performance in the World Cup is down to deep-seated funding and development problems which cricket’s governing body needs to help address urgently.

He recommends the formation of a regional league to develop the game in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania but Sears said that massive defeats already in the Cup by New Zealand and Pakistan show it will need more than that to bring up the standard.

“People must know why we are where we are. The performance at the World Cup was a result of not investing in grassroot cricket,” said Sears.

“The gap is growing wider because countries like Kenya don’t get enough exposure at the top level. They don’t play full members as often as they should to help bridge the gap,” added Sears.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2011.