Tri-nation series: A place in the finals at stake for Sri Lanka

Jayawardene looks for consistency as team faces Australia today.

MELBOURNE: After a sensational loss to India that could have left them devastated, Sri Lanka will come out in the Melbourne Cricket Ground to play their biggest match of the Tri-Nation Series against Australia today.

Sri Lanka made 320 in their last game against India only to see the opposition, needing a bonus-point win, overhaul the target in the 36th over. The manner in which Sri Lanka bowlers failed in the face of an India batting line-up, struggling prior to the match, would give captain Mahela Jayawardene plenty to think about.

However, Jayawardene is confident that the team can take plenty of positives even if today’s game proves to be their last in the tournament. Sri Lanka need to beat Australia to confirm a berth in the best-of-three finals where they will face the hosts.

“Going in to the last game it’s in our control, what we need to do,” said Jayawardene. “It’s a good position for us to be, rather than depending on someone else to do some favours for us. From where we started on this tour, I think we’ve improved as a team and maintained consistency. That’s very important for us going forward. Whatever happens, we will definitely get a lot of positives out of this.”

The captain can take heed from the fact that his side has come out victorious in their last two matches and that the batsmen managed to put up good scores in their last game. Tillakaratne Dilshan equalled his highest One-Day International score and Kumar Sangakkara scored centuries before the bowlers, who have done well in the tournament, let the team down.

“Our challenge will be to try and keep this consistency going, because if we play the way we’re playing now, we’ll win more matches than we lose. We’re quite happy with that.”

However, Sri Lanka will not have Farveez Maharoof for today’s game after he suffered from lower-back pain during the Hobart loss.

Meanwhile, Australia have a couple of selection decisions to make ahead of the match. Michael Clarke could miss a second successive match due to injury after the national selection manager John Inverarity said a no-risk approach would be taken to the captain’s fitness.

And the selectors will also be keen for James Pattinson to play before the finals, having not turned out for Australia since the Sydney Test victory over India nearly two months ago.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2012.