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The Jamaica Cricket Association is holding its hands over committing to the Stanford 2020 competition and the proposed US$280,000 to be allocated to each territorial board. However, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB) has no such qualms and they are moving ahead.”We will welcome any funding for development,” T&TCB general secretary Forbes Persaud said yesterday following a meeting between board officials and chairman of the 2020 organising committee, former West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts, at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva.Roberts was in Trinidad as part of the series of visits through the islands by members of the 2020 board of directors-comprising 14 West Indies cricket legends-to assess the facilities and appraise the regional boards about the tournament and to discuss the disbursement of funds. However, Roberts’ visit coincided with a media release on Monday by the West Indies Cricket Board which issued a caution about the tournament, the brainchild of Antigua-based American businessman Allen Stanford.”The generous offer of assistance, which is proposed, is to be welcomed,” the WICB statement said in part. “But if it is Mr. Stanford’s desire to genuinely assist in the development of cricket, we would expect this to be progressed in conjunction with existing Caribbean initiatives, which are well advanced….”Visits to our respective territories have been made by envoys of Mr Stanford and we have indicated general interest in his proposal to offer funding. But we have made it clear that we expect these arrangements to be pursued through our collective participation at the level of the West Indies Cricket Board. Anything else would suggest an attempt to create duplication and division within West Indies cricket, which we do not believe is Mr Stanford’s intention.” The statement was signed by the six territorial boards, including the T&TCB. And in a Caribbean Media Coporation (CMC) report yesterday, JCA president Jackie Hendriks said his board, also one of the signatories to the statement, supported the board’s position. He added that Jamaica would adopt a wait and see approach.”Speaking for Jamaica, certainly when we heard about it we were asked to send some of our programmes to them which we did but we made it very clear that we could do nothing until the West Indies Cricket Board sanctioned the whole initiative and this is so up to now,” Hendriks said. “My understanding is that efforts have been made by the president of the West Indies Board [Ken Gordon] to get in touch with Mr Stanford without any success so therefore we are waiting to see exactly the outcome of any discussions between the West Indies Board and Mr Stanford.”However, yesterday, the T&TCB adopted a slightly different position. “After the meeting today, we have a clear picture as to what the whole thing is all about,” said Persaud, who along with second vice-president Azim Bassarath and T&T senior team manager and T&TCB executive member Omar Khan held talks with Roberts. Board president Deryck Murray is out of the country. The WICB did say they have an interest in the whole project. (So) at this stage we will be putting forward our proposals to the organisers by the end of the week with respect to how we would be using the funds.”Under the Stanford proposal, US$100,000 is to be used to develop cricketing infrastructure, while the remaining US$180,000 is to go towards player development and team preparation for next year’s 2020 series.The cash-strapped T&TCB currently has a bank overdraft of $279,000 and a debt to the WICB of $1.5m which was a loan to help with the construction of the National Cricket Centre.

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The tournament gets underway in Castletown•ICC/Cricket Europe

Italy got to a winning start in the European Under-17 Division Two Championships with a thumping victory against Belgium on the opening day. The Belgians had beaten Italy in the final of the previous edition of the tournament, but this time they were not given a chance by the clinical Italians.Captain Roshendra Abeywickrama set up the win with an accomplished 76 off 98 balls and he was supported well by Abdulla Al Noman Chowdhury and Jakub Peret who struck 30s. Italy finished with 214 for 5 in their 40 overs. Abeywickrama continued to torment Belgium with the ball, removing Shamin Shah for a duck early. Mohammad Adnan struck a double blow after some resistance from Robert Sehmi after which there was no respite for Belgium. They slid to a sorry 76 all out in 21.4 overs.
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Hosts Isle of Man made a confident start to the tournament with a 66 run victory over Germany in Tromode. Openers Adam MacAuley and Carl Wagstaff built a solid platform with their 91 run stand after which there was no looking back. MacAuley struck a pleasing 53 off 68 balls as the hosts reached 180 in their 37 overs. Germany’s reply came unstuck against some persistent bowling from Robert Hester who finished with four wickets. Opener Krishna Cholleti resisted with 34, but it was not enough as Germany slid to 114 all out.
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Spain were made to work hard by Switzerland before sealing a 38-run win in Crosby. Himesh Parikh and George Gaillet questioned Spain’s decision to bat first by reducing them to 51 for 4. Charlie Cook then turned the tables with a 46-ball 59 to turn the heat back on Switzerland, as Spain finished with a respectable score of 176. Switzerland’s reply was stunted by a fiery spell from Ben Girling who scalped six wickets. Ali Saleem tried to hold one end up, with 43 off 73 balls, but without support from the other end, as his side were bowled out for 138.
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France steamrolled Gibraltar by 222 runs in St John’s in the most one-sided match on the opening day. Gibraltar lost the initiative almost as soon as they invited France to bat after winning the toss. William Smati and Avishka Liyanaarachchi cashed in with lively 60s and received good support from the rest of the cast as France amassed 278. Zain Zahir’s opening burst reduced Gibraltar to 9 for 3 and ended the match as a contest early. Zika Ali then came on to run through the middle and lower order and finish with dream figures of 5 for 3 in four overs as Gibraltar were shut out in the 22nd over for 56.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Yuvraj Singh’s electrifying 70 led the batting charge and Sreesanthdelivered the telling blows with the ball as India produced a magnificentperformance to beat Australia by 15 runs and set up a dreamall-subcontinent final against Pakistan at the ICC World Twenty20. Formuch of their pursuit of 189, Australia were well in contention, withMatthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds muscling balls to the rope, but Indiakept their nerve superbly to clinch another famous victory.Thousands of Indian flags were waved with abandon as Kingsmead came toresemble Little India, but Australia were still marginal favourites with41 needed from the final four overs. Symonds was still there,having biffed his way to 43 from 25 balls, but the moment Irfan Pathanpegged back his off stump with a delivery that evaded the attempted cut,the momentum shifted decisively towards India.Harbhajan Singh conceded just three runs in the next over, yorking MichaelClarke in the process, and Rudra Pratap Singh then returned to bowl anoutstanding over, having gone for plenty in his opening spell. When theinexperienced Joginder Sharma was handed the ball for the final over, 22were needed. Michael Hussey, the master finisher, was on strike, but therewas to be no comeback here. A miscue induced by Sharma’s lack of pacelanded up in Yuvraj Singh’s hands at deep midwicket, and Brett Lee wasthen cleaned up by a yorker as the Indian players started impromptuvictory jigs on the field.Australia were left to reflect on a middle-order meltdown, and anastonishing second half of the Indian innings where Yuvraj, Robin Uthappaand Mahendra Singh Dhoni drove, flicked and bludgeoned 128 runs. Uthappaadded 84 with Yuvraj in just 39 balls, and Dhoni provided the finalflourishes as India ensured that Australia would have a TableMountain-like target to scale.Yuvraj, who had missed the South Africa game after his 12-ballhalf-century against England, carried on in six-hitting vein, pullingStuart Clark, the top wicket-taker in the competition, for a huge one overmidwicket. Adam Gilchrist responded by bringing back Brett Lee, but Yuvrajresponded with a sensational pick-up short over square leg for six, takingIndia to 60 for 2 at the halfway stage, marginally better than the 57 for3 they had against South Africa.Virender Sehwag had gone cheaply, edging Mitchell Johnson behind, andGautam Gambhir’s bright 24-run cameo ended with a stunning catch in theoutfield, but that merely set the stage for dazzling strokeplay thatripped up whatever plans the Australians may have had.Symonds came on and was straight away flicked for four, before both Yuvrajand Uthappa pulled him for sixes in a 19-run over. Neither NathanBracken’s slower variations nor Clark’s steadiness could stem the tide, asYuvraj played sumptuous shots over cover.Another massive pull for six off Clark took him to 50 from just 20 balls,in an over that went for 21, and the return of Johnson provedjust as expensive, with Uthappa slamming a straight six and poweringanother over midwicket. Australia were wobbling, but respite came in theshape of a nonchalant direct hit from Symonds after Yuvraj had turned downUthappa for a single.Dhoni, usually a watchful starter, was into his stride right away, carvingSymonds down the ground, and with Yuvraj carrying on merrily, Gilchristturned to his final bowling option, Clarke. The first ball was heaved forsix over midwicket, but Yuvraj didn’t quite time the next one, and Husseyran in to take the catch.Australia came out prepared to swing, and RP Singh, who had sent SouthAfrica tumbling out of the tournament on Thursday, found the best openingpair in the business a different proposition. Gilchrist repeatedly flickedhim over midwicket, once for six, and also lofted one straight down to thesightscreen.Hayden struggled against Sreesanth, whose eccentricities shouldn’t obscurejust how beautifully he bowled. There was pace and swing as Haydenrepeatedly swished at air, but it was Gilchrist that departed first,castled by a wonderful delivery that swung back in. That was the signalfor Hayden to move through the gears, and Sharma was the first to feel theimpact, taken for two huge sixes over midwicket as 18 came from the over.

Brad Hodge didn’t last long, heaving one to short fine leg, but the adventof Symonds changed the complexion of the game. Both men heaved Pathan forsixes in an over, and Dhoni’s gamble to give Sehwag an over, after he hadtweaked his hamstring while batting, backfired. Hayden heaved a six to getto 50 from 40 balls, and another loft down the ground saw 20 come from theover.When Symonds then clattered Harbhajan over midwicket for six more, the DJstarted to play Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of my Head, areflection perhaps on how the match was moving inexorably towardsAustralia. It was clear that India needed a hero, and they found one inthe swing bowler with the long stare and the quirky mannerisms.Sreesanth came round the wicket and send Hayden’s off stump for a walk toend the 66-run partnership, and though Symonds continued to swing to thebitter end, the rest of his mates weren’t up to the task. Sreesanthfinished with sensational figures of 2 for 12, but the no-name Sharma’slast-over best summed up what was a tremendous team effort.Australia will have to wait to get their hands on this trophy, but forIndia and Pakistan, who exited the World Cup in such humiliatingcircumstances just six months ago, Monday afternoon at the Wanderers can’tcome soon enough. It will surprise no one if the DJ decides to kick offthe festivities with .

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A day before the Indian team for the tour of Bangladesh was to be selected, Yuvraj Singh hammered a stylish 70 to win Punjab a berth in the final of the domestic Twenty20 championships, where they will take on Tamil Nadu (see points table). After failing to fire in each of Punjab’s first three matches in this tournament, where he made 0, 25 and 12, Yuvraj came to the party in fine style against Orissa, going after the bowling with characteristic freedom and aggression, giving full expression to his range of strokes.Being put in to bat, Punjab’s strong batting line-up put up the first 200-plus score of the tournament. Ravneet Ricky, who has been scoring consistently, made 25 at the top of the order, but it was Yuvraj and Dinesh Mongia (43) who did the serious damage. Early on in his innings, Yuvraj was content just looking to hit fours, and his powerful pulling on a good batting surface meant that the fielders had plenty of work to do retrieving the ball from the boundaries. In addition to his eight fours, Yuvraj launched four sixes, one of which ended up on the roof of the stands over midwicket. Yuvraj’s 39-ball 70 took Punjab to 201.Orissa had little chance of chasing down the target and ended on 130 for 7 from 20 overs, falling well short of the target before them. One of the talking points, after Yuvraj’s innings, was the bowling of Harbhajan Singh, who managed 1 for 15 from two overs. Although Twenty20 is hardly a stage to judge a bowler, the outing at least gave Harbhajan a chance to get some overs under his belt in a competitive situation.”You need to play a lot more in Twenty20 to get an idea of what to do and what not to do,” Harbhajan said soon after the game ended. He also felt that Twenty20 was the sort of game where raw strength and power, rather than skill, would help batsmen succeed. He called the format a “fun game”, although who was having fun under the scorching Mumbai sun, with no spectators at the ground, was not immediately clear. “You need bowlers who can be effective in this game if you want to win,” said Harbhajan, while adding, “The challenge of playing Twenty20 at the domestic level is less. Bowling to the world’s best batsmen is not so easy.”And it has not been an easy few months for Harbhajan. Although he has enjoyed the support of his captain and the selectors, the wickets are not coming as easily as they used to and the bowler who gave the ball a rip and bamboozled the Australians to the tune of 32 wickets from three Tests back in 2001, seems a distant, faded memory. Harbhajan, today, is an offspinner who bowls flat rather flighted, restrictive rather than hungry for wickets. In his last 50 ODIs he does not even average one wicket a game, with just one five-wicket haul. Each of his 48 scalps has come at an price of 38.43 runs. These are not the numbers of a champion offspinner leading an attack.When the selectors and the team management sit down to pick the team for Bangladesh, Ramesh Powar will be the first spinner they agree on. If Dravid bats for Harbhajan, as he has in the past, then there’s a chance he’ll keep his place, albeit under careful scrutiny, with a clear brief to bowl for wickets. The one thing going in Harbhajan’s favour is that Powar is a naturally attacking bowler, and this might make space for a bowler who is restrictive. Also, just as Anil Kumble’s career – at least in Tests – was boosted massively by the competition for a place that Harbhajan brought, and he was forced to become a more versatile bowler, this might be the chance for Harbhajan to take his game to the next level. Whether that opportunity will be afforded to him, depends on the thinking of the selectors, the captain and Ravi Shastri, the cricket manager.Three of the selectors – Dilip Vengsarkar, Bhupinder Singh and Ranjib Biswal – have plenty of time to talk about the decisions they would take tomorrow as they watched a match of no consequence, between Karnataka and Railways. Rahul Dravid, under the weather, didn’t play, and Railways knocked off the 163 runs they needed to register a facile win.

At the start of the CB Series there were mutterings about Australia’s outfit being so dominant – and the opposition so poor – that they would quickly regain the world record one-day score. While part of the belief is Australian chest-beating after the Ashes cleansweep and a strong limited-overs start, Adam Gilchrist insists scores of 400-plus will become more common as a flow-on effect from Twenty20.Gilchrist, who will lead the side against England in Brisbane on Friday, is likely to have a strong say in any massive Australian total and is convinced they will get bigger. “I do believe 400s are going to become parts of the game,” he said. “Slowly but surely they may become the norm, but they’re a little way off yet.”Batsmen are power hitting earlier and Twenty20 is going to show teams how expansive they can be.” However, he does not expect too many repeats of Australia’s mind-blowing game against South Africa last year when 872 runs were scored in 99.5 overs and Australia held the world mark for only an innings.As Gilchrist talked in the Gabba gym he was asked by Angus Fraser, the former England seamer, whether it was a good thing for the game if the batsman had an unequal advantage. “I can’t see why bowlers have got such a raw deal,” Gilchrist said. “The powerplay changes it a lot, but there was always an overs restriction. The bowlers will adapt and they are adapting. Looking at bowling now in one-day cricket compared to 20 years ago, they are smarter about it.”Australia will regain two of their most knowledgeable fast men for Friday’s match with Glenn McGrath cleared of a groin problem and Brett Lee recovering from a chest infection that ruled him out of the first two games. The pair’s inclusion forces Ben Hilfenhaus out of the squad – he will play for Tasmania in the Pura Cup game against Queensland in Hobart – and Stuart Clark and Brad Hogg will also be missing.

McGrath was rested for the 105-run win over New Zealand in Hobart on Sunday and did not bowl in the nets today. “They are just managing his workload and monitoring him closely,” Gilchrist said. “We’re sure he’s 100% fit.”Gilchrist will captain Australia for the 14th time in one-day games as he replaces the resting Ricky Ponting, and he downplayed the prospect of the side’s invincibility. “There’s every chance we could lose a game to England or New Zealand,” Gilchrist, who will play his 250th ODI, said. “It’s the nature of one-day cricket. That’s what we’re trying to guard against.”Not for a minute are we thinking we have wrapped up this tournament. Far from it. But if we maintain the standard and keep progressing we shouldn’t lose too many.”Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt, wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Brad Hodge, 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Cameron White, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Glenn McGrath.

Five doves flew to freedom, colourful balloons floated in the air, and a thunderous applause went around the arena as the picturesque Gangothri Glades in Mysore hosted its first Ranji Trophy match. Two of the doves were released very gently by two legends from Karnataka, one who’d made a name with his caressed drives and the other who is one of India’s finest spin bowlers. Brijesh Patel and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar.The Ranji Trophy returned to Mysore after an 18-year hiatus; though a Ranji match was played last year here, at the Infosys campus, it was organised entirely by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and no local hand was involved. This time, the local crew ran the show completely. Balachander, the local convenor was a proud man and for a reason other than the obvious: His father, K Sethuraman, was the convener in 1988 when Karnataka last played here.”You can’t find a better venue”, Patel said, and it’s tough to dispute that sentiment. The Chamundi Hills provide an idyllic backdrop, the Kukkarahalli Lake just a big-hit away and the ground itself has lovely trees ringing the boundary.It’s the perfect argument for cricket in India moving to smaller centres – a policy, Patel pointed out, that Karnataka had long followed. “In the ’70s and ’80s we played all over Karnataka. That’s when stadiums came up in all the districts. Now, though, many have athletic tracks so they can’t be used for cricket. Mysore is well suited and we have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mysore University for 20 years. We spent Rs 3,500,000 [US$ 80,000 approx] to build the pavilion and open stands for the crowds to come in and enjoy a good game.”There’s an element of charm when cricket is staged at smaller venues. “I have always loved playing in the smaller towns, because there is more enthusiasm,” Patel agreed. “When Rahul Dravid scored a double-hundred in Bangalore, there were only 10 guys watching the game. Here you can see the crowd watching some good cricketers. There is tremendous enthusiasm in Mysore and we have to tap that.”Chandrasekhar, quiet and shy as ever, also showed he’d lost none of his trademark wit. “I last came here during a women’s cricket tournament and this venue has only grown more charming.” The thought of a big six stirred his curiosity. “Will the ball return if it flies over this ground surrounded by hills and lake?” Balachander’s solution: “No problem. There are open spaces around but we have a bunch of volunteers to do the job!Balachander’s efforts weren’t restricted to the ground structures – the right authorities were approached to give schools a day off, which they agreed to. That explained the hundreds of enthusiastic school kids who cheered every four and every negated appeal with a huge roar.

The only concern for the authorities was the newly-laid pitch, which they’ve handed to Ravindra, a former state cricketer. “This is a good result-oriented wicket,” said Ravindra. “I have worked on it for nearly two months and I am confident it will last five days.” Bharat Chipli, Karnataka’s No 3 batsman who got for a first-ball duck, couldn’t offer first-hand experience of the track but added: “The ball stops a bit on some patches, but there is good bounce and carry overall. The players are happy.”So were the crowd, whose pre-match entertainment included the song , in praise of the goddess Chamundeswari, who slayed the demon king Mahishasura (after whom Mysore is named). The song was composed by Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, the last king of Mysore – and his main cricket connection is that when EAS Prasanna was picked for the Indian team, and his father was reluctant to send him, the king cajoled him into changing his decision.That wasn’t the only song today. The first ball from Joginder Sharma landed on a length, Robin Uthappa leaned forward, covered his stumps before shouldering arms, and Mahesh Rawat collected the ball behind the stumps. Chandrasekhar leant back in his seat and hummed a famous Mukesh number.

Scott Styris is likely to miss the first Test against Sri Lanka due to an ongoing back problem. Styris managed only two games in the Champions Trophy before his injury flared up again.New Zealand team manager Lindsay Crocker said Styris was suffering from a small rupture to a disc in his spine and the priority was to ensure he was fit for the World Cup starting next March. “It’s not in anyone’s best interests for Scott to play when he isn’t 100 percent right, so it’s unlikely he’ll be considered,” Crocker told the .”We just need to be patient and get him back to full fitness,” he said. The injury first appeared in September when Styris was playing for the English county side Middlesex. The opening batsman Michael Papps will also not be considered for the first Test in Christchurch starting on December 7 due to a broken finger.New Zealand will play two Tests against Sri Lanka, followed by two Twenty/20 matches and five one-day internationals.

Venugopal Rao has been named captain of the India A side for the six-nation EurAsia Cricket Series at Abu Dhabi from April 22 to May 5.Robin Singh has been named coach of the squad, which, apart from Rao, also includes three players who were part of the mix in the national side during the home series against England: Piyush Chawla, the 16-year-old legspinner, played in the first Test, while RP Singh and VRV Singh were in the one-day squad and played the fifth match at Jamshedpur. The squad also includes Dinesh Karthik, the wicketkeeper from Tamil Nadu who played for India before being upstaged by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.India have been bunched along with Pakistan and Holland, while Sri Lanka, Ireland and UAE comprise Group B. India open their campaign with a match against Holland against April 23.Squad
Robin Uthappa, Shikhar Dhawan, Sivaramakrishnan Vidyut, Venugopal Rao (capt), S Badrinath, Abhisek Jhunjhunwala, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Shib Sankar Paul, RP Singh, VRV Singh, Piyush Chawla.

Cricket Kenya has confirmed that it will host A-team tours by India and Sri Lanka in August.India arrive early in the month to play two three-day games against the national side, and then Sri Lanka join them to take part in a triangular one-day series in which each side plays the others twice with a final in Nairobi on August 23.The deal is a boost to the Kenyan board whose media deal with Nimbus means they need to attract overseas sides to play in the country. It will also assist the board’s attempts to secure lucrative local sponsorship deals.The series will be followed by a Twenty20 tournament which will act as a warm-up ahead of the Twenty20 World Championships in September. Bangladesh are understood to be one of the participating countries, although negotiations continue about which other side will make up the numbers.

For the umpteenth time in this series Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell insisted that there was still a long way to go, and that being 2-0 up would make no difference to the way they prepared, and to the intensity they carried into the third game.”We will just concentrate on what we have to do. I am happy with the way my team has played in the last two games,” Dravid said on Sunday after a lengthy practice session at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. “But I am not worried too much about the results. We need to focus on the processes we put in place and on our goals, and I believe if you do the processes well, the result takes care of itself.”Dravid also reiterated the need to be consistent, and said that it was something he had put across to the team. “I have put the challenges forward to them,” he said. “We know that we have been inconsistent in the past, and the challenge is to make sure that doesn’t happen again. We have learnt to prepare hard for the match in hand, irrespective of the result of the previous game.”The fact that India are 2-0 up gives them the luxury of considering resting Sachin Tendulkar – who has just managed a successful return to cricket after a long lay-off owing to a painful tennis elbow – although perhaps the time has not yet come for that. “We are aware of that, we have to make sure that we don’t put too much pressure on him,” said Chappell. “If and when the opportunity presents itself, we will look to rest him for a game somewhere down the line.”Dravid added that Tendulkar’s style of playing was in line with the team’s current needs. “When you play 15 years of international cricket, you can’t score in every game, and we don’t expect him to score in every game,” he said. “He’s hitting the ball well, is in good form, and we hope he may continue to do that. Most importantly, he is a team man who can play according to the requirements of the team, who can play differently in different conditions.”Chappell conceded that playing at home did give the Indians an edge. “Playing at home does make a big difference, and Sri Lanka are on the road,” he said. “But the fact is that we have played good cricket in the last two games. We have approached matches with strategies that we think will give us an advantage and work against them, and so far, they have succeeded. Good teams are those who have different players performing in different matches. If someone fails, then someone else turns up.”

Marvan Atapattu, the beleagured Sri Lankan captain, was once again faced with questions on how his team planned to bounce back in the series after suffering heavily at India’s hands. Keeping his cool, he said, “We need to play well as a group for us to bounce back. We have a few things planned, and one of those is not to pressurise individuals. The team has to gel together for us to come up trumps. There is no point having stars and putting pressure on them. As a unit, we all have to respond to the challenge.”Atapattu also defended Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, who have not had as big an impact as expected. “Murali is a class act, and it’s not easy to bowl on flat tracks,” he said. “Actually, if you take the figures of all the bowlers in the series so far, you will find that Murali has the best figures. As for Vaas, it will be unfair to pull him down when he is bowling to someone like Sachin, who is batting as well as he has done all career long. Vaas is among the top five bowlers in one-day cricket, but how he is bowling here is a reflection of both the conditions and the person he is bowling at. He can’t go from being very good to very bad overnight.”Mahela Jayawardena, who also attended the pre-match press conference, echoed Atapattu’s words, and said he, as an individual, was not feeling any special pressure to perform. “I don’t feel any additional pressure. As a team, we need to get our acts together. We all have the capability, of that there is no doubt. What is important is how we approach the task tomorrow. Personally, I will take it as just another game.”