They say it the pearl of the Indian Ocean. And it sure is. The last world cup match which was played here was in 96 and I remember Aravinda scored is top knock and the team recorded the highest score in ODIs which was not broken in several years. The Aussies and Windies boycotted their games here, because of security reasons and maybe they thought it does not matter.
As the two teams found out later it was a major mistake in their world cup campaign. It was called Pinch Hitting, was told that found by Michael Greatbatch and perfected by the Sri Lankan duo. Sanath and Romesh both were scintillating at the beginning, then come the anchors aravinda, gurusinghe, ranathunga, hashan and roshan. Not only the batting but also the bowling was great vaasi and murali were more than reliable. Promadaya, Pencil Kumar and Aravinda chipped in when its needed.
What the team holds in the present is, in my opinion, somewhat greater than the 96 team but the other teams have grown and perfected too. The Aussies well have not performed upto expectations in the recent past and the main cause is that their batting has let them down. But they can kick back at any time and they are good at it. The English team has built up a strong team comprising a strong batting line up and an attacking bowling squad. Well the Springboks and the Black Caps too have a formidable team. But the Indian and the Sri Lankans have the home advantage at their disposal. Or else who knows will it be a suprise like in 96?. Well we have to wait and see.........
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