Playing the waiting game after being outplayed

Sa’adi Thawfeeq reporting from South Africa

Mahela Jayawardene cover drives during his valiant knock of 77 against New Zealand

JOHANNESBURG: It hurts when you lose but it hurts deep down when the loss is in a contest which you are supposed to win to be in the tournament. That’s how Sri Lanka’s cricketers felt on Sunday when they went down by 38 runs to New Zealand and thereby virtually spoiling your chances of qualifying for a place in the ICC Champions trophy semi-finals.
Sri Lanka was not touted as one of the favourites and that kind of publicity suited team captain Kumar Sangakkara. With all the focus on the host country South Africa and top teams like Australia, India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka were quite content to play their own game away from the glitz and the publicity that was given to the other sides.
They started off on a sensational note at the Centurion defeating South Africa by 55 runs, running up an impressive 319-8. The conditions and the dry wicket suited Sri Lanka’s combination especially the spin of Ajantha Mendis who picked up three crucial South African wickets that turned the match in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Sri Lanka’s next two games against England and New Zealand were at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg where they came up against a dry hard and bouncy surface.
It was bad luck on the day of the England game that the weather was not at its best.

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