Skipper Sangakkara says thought of star offie playing his last WC match today (if Sri Lanka lose) will inspire team to beat England
Skipper Sangakkara says thought of star offie playing his last WC match today (if Sri Lanka lose) will inspire team to beat England
Muttiah Muralitharan could be sporting a Sri Lankan jersey for the last time today. A loss for the Lankans against England in the quarter-final at Premadasa Stadium would mean curtains for the spin legend. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara has said that if anything, the thought of Muralitharan playing his last game would be an added motivation for his side to advance to the World Cup semi-finals.
"To some extent, it does add some extra pressure," Sangakkara told reporters. "Honestly, we cannot approach any game with that sort of fear. Murali is a champion cricketer, and always stands up in big games. "We are playing for each other's success, and it's never about just one individual. If anything, we will be even more charged up to advance in the tournament."
Confirming Muralitharan's recovery from a hamstring injury, Sangakkara asserted that the side with the best spinners would win the coveted title next Saturday."Spinners have definitely come to the fore in this World Cup. Even England have two quality spinners in Graeme Swann and James Tredwell," he said. "All the teams now have two or three good spinners, and have found the perfect balance. Even in Twenty20 cricket, teams with the best spinners have enjoyed success.
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand's
Scott Styris at Wankhede Stadium last Friday. Pic/Atul kamble
"As a captain, I have to use the spinners wisely in the powerplay periods. Attacking spinners have brought in a new dimension to limited-overs cricket. I think the best spinners will win this World Cup," he said.Sangakkara rubbished the reports in the English media, which said that Sri Lanka would face all the pressure, as England had nothing to lose going into the do-or-die contest.
"It depends on how you look at it. If England qualify to the semi-final, will they still not feel any pressure? Both sides will feel the intensity. We are not feeling any additional pressure," he said. "Cricket is always played with a lot of passion in Sri Lanka, we always get packed houses. It doesn't matter if it's a World Cup game, or just another game. The crowds will always turn out to support us."
Sangakkara refused to read too much into statistics, according to which the venue favours teams batting first.
"It's a very flat wicket, I expect plenty of runs. It should be a really good cricket pitch," he said.
