A day before the final between hosts Sri Lanka and favourites West Indies, there should have ideally have been plenty of dressing room talking points. But, rather anti-climactically, it was a former South African wicketkeeper, Dave Richardson, who made all the news. Richardson, the new ICC CEO, was critical in his assessment of the R Premadasa pitch used for the semi-finals, specifically the dry one that played its role in kicking Pakistan out of the tournament.Pakistan struggled to chase a measly 139 against Lanka, while in the second match the same stadium produced a featherbed, with the Australians finding it extremely hard to match West Indies’ 206. So to bring about some sanity to the situation, the burly figure of Andy Atkinson, ICC’s go-to pitch doctor, was seen minutely scrutinising the playing area on Saturday — with his presence kicking off a further string of talking points — that regarding the soil, moisture and grass content on this remedied wicket.But all that seems almost irrelevant for a West Indies match, considering the only factor that really affects the state of play is Chris Gayle’s mighty wooden blade.At about the same time of Saturday afternoon when Gayle rested his body through a minor side strain, the Lankans went into a huddle at the practice arena to perhaps discuss just what it would take to stop this monster of a run scorer. Mahela Jayawardene’s bowlers must not just have a Plan A, but also a B and C to contain the great Jamaican. But the Lankans will be pleased to know, that as far as T20 cricket is concerned, Gayle disappoints in finals.
Popular Posts
-
LIVERPOOL 5 -0 NORWICH Norwich must be sick of the sight of striker Luis Suarez as he scored his seventh goal in three...
-
Flourant Malouda may be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after being told that he may move. Suitors are believed to include clubs in Bra...
-
Tottenham Hotspur have appointed former Chelsea and FC Porto boss Andre Villas-Boas as their new manager. Villas-Boas, who was sacked b...
-
Sri Lanka beats Kiwis in Super-over in WT20 New Zealand needed 14 for victory in the eliminator after Sri Lanka had posted 13-1, but ...
-
Didier Drogba has signed an 18-month deal with Galatasaray after turning down the chance of a sensational return to Chelsea. The Ivori...
0 comments:
Post a Comment