Can England surprise the Lankans?**
St. Peter’s:** England’s one-day side is a bit of a curiosity. People with lesser refinement may call for it to be placed between the bearded lady and the dog that yelps the alphabet. One would think England has all the tools. In Ed Joyce, Michael Vaughan, and Ian Bell, the side has classical top-order batsman with years of county experience in clammy conditions — ideal to deal with the hassles of early starts should England bat first. In Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, and Andrew Flintoff, the side has middle-order batsmen as capable as any; and they are different players — Pietersen with his shepherd’s eye, his great reach, his pliant wrists; Collingwood with his short-arm jabs, his ability to play the angles, his desire to badger and hustle; Flintoff with his technique, his weight of stroke, his immense muscle. Paul Nixon, the keeper, has an air about him that conveys intent, even if it’s scatty.
Fascinating contest
Pietersen did his bit to promote his battle with Muttiah Muralitharan: one of the defining contests of Wednesday’s game. “Muralitharan is the hardest bowler in the world to face,” he said.
“Much harder (than Warne). Murali spins the ball both ways whereas Warney you can sort of counteract. Muralitharan just winds you up because he knows he is going to get you out. He just smiles and laughs.”
Pietersen reserved his best words for the match. “Wednesday the World Cup starts for England. It’s a huge week for us. We can’t leave Antigua on Monday with just two points. It’ll be a great batting line-up when it’s firing.”
The teams (from):
England: Michael Vaughan (capt.), Ed Joyce, Ian Bell, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Nixon, Ravinder Bopara, Jamie Dalrymple, Monty Panesar, Jon Lewis, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, and Sajid Mahmood.
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (capt.), Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Malinga Bandara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya, Nuwan Kulasekara, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Silva, Upul Tharanga, and Chaminda Vaas.
Umpires: Billy Bowden and Asad Rauf. TV: Rudi Koertzen.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/04/stories/2007040402352000.htm
, the major minnows like ENG and WI can still cause a few upsets. Don’t think this will be a walk in the park.
