Asanka Gurusinghe, who was a member of the World Cup winning cricket team of 1996, said the way the Sri Lankan (SL) cricket team is performing currently is reminiscent of themselves in 1996. He also said that the present team is the best after the team we fielded in 1996.
Gurusinghe , a top left hander, went on to say the SL side that played against Scotland on 11th proved beyond doubt it is the best team that has been selected, and with the entry of Rangana Herath, the SL team will be most competent for the quarter finals on the 18th. In any event, if the SL team improves in the bowling and fielding departments, the team can even win the final match, he noted.
Gurusinghe was confident that the SL team can emerge victorious in the quarter final match to be played next Wednesday against S. Africa at Sydney. He justified his confidence on the ground that the S. African team is now facing setbacks. The SL team has proved that it can win under any circumstances, and therefore, it has the edge over S. Africa.
The SL team reaching the finals was predicted by him at the outset, Gurusinghe pointed out. SL team has been improving with every match, but in the contest with Australia it lost because of the lapses on the part of the bowlers. Without taking into consideration the condition of the wickets, inclusion of fast bowlers contributed to the defeat is his personal opinion, he added. Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera who played in the match against Scotland ought to be selected in the future matches too. Though he conceded runs he has the ability to take wickets. If Malinga can be supported by Chameera and Kulasekera that will be tremendously beneficial, he opined.
Gurusinghe expressing his views in regard to the media reports pertaining to Chaminda Vaas who is coaching fast bowlers, stated: “At this juncture, the treatment meted out to Vaas was very ugly. They are trying to blame Vaas for the defeats we faced on the tour of New Zealand. That is wrong. It must be pointed out that our players grassed a lot of catches in the matches against New Zealand. Vaas who made a huge contribution must be treated by the cricket officials as one of us. Vaas was not aware that Romesh Ratnayake was being appointed over him. That was very unfair. By these actions, various influences and ideas enter the minds of the players. If such trends are halted it is better.”
