Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain Thilina Kandamby was all praise for the senior men as Mahela Jayawardene’s superb knock helped the visitors outclass the World Twenty20 champions by nine wickets.
Kandamby was happy at things going according to plan. “Our target was to keep them under 150 and they took the responsibility. The seniors showed their class,” said Kandamby.
Man-of-the-match Jayawardene, who hit a 57-ball 72, and shared an unbeaten 97-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (43*), credited his team’s superior tactics for the crushing win.
“It’s about tactics,” he said. “You need to try and attack and get as many boundaries as possible to put pressure on them.”
England’s Stuart Broad was a disappointed man after seeing his captaincy debut get off to a horrendous start, but paid tribute to his opponents.
“Credit where credit’s due,” he said. Jayawardene and Sangakkara played fantastic.”
Jayasuriya’s return
Swashbuckling opener Sanath Jayasuriya, making a brief return to the side before retiring after the first match of the One-Day International series tomorrow, picked up two wickets on his comeback but was dismissed cheaply when he opened with Jayawardene.
Kandamby insisted he had no problems with the veteran’s return. “He has a ton of experience, so it’s always good to have him in the side,” said Kandamby.
Lasith Malinga was also impressive with two for 15 as England struggled to reach 136 for nine. Eoin Morgan (47) and Kevin Pietersen (41) put on 81 for the third wicket, which turned out to be the highlight for the hosts as the rest of the line-up struggled to come to terms with a disciplined bowling show.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2011.
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