The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ‘We will handle the speedsters well’

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Saturday, Oct 27, 2007
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‘We will handle the speedsters well’

ADELAIDE: Sanath Jayasuriya has dismissed the predictable pre-match commentary about how the Sri Lankan team will struggle on the fast pitches in Australia.

The 38-year-old Jayasuriya plans to make this his final tour of Australia after travelling down under for 12 years. His first trip was in the acrimonious 1995-96 tour when Sri Lanka bowler Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing.

“Whenever we come to Australia those are the normal things we hear so we are quite used to those comments. What we have to do is ignore those things,” Jayasuriya said.

“The young guys don’t worry about all these comments. We should concentrate on our game and gameplan, that’s the best thing we can do,” he added.

The retirement of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne means Australia could field four fast bowlers in the two-Test series — Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark and Shaun Tait. Spinner Stuart MacGill could be in the squad for variety.

“We’ve already been facing the fastest bowlers, we’ve played Shoaib (Akhtar), Brett, Tait… we’ve played those guys, it’s going to be tough but we will handle it well,” said Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara and captain Mahela Jayawardene are expected to play a big role during the tour. The first Test begins in Brisbane on November 8, the second in Hobart on Nov. 16.

Having already retired once — in 2006 — and then changed his mind, Jayasuriya says he has enjoyed the ensuing year.

“It’s the last year I’ve started playing Test cricket again and doing well in Tests and one-dayers,” he said. “I’m confident and enjoying my cricket, and I want to do well for my team.”

Sri Lanka begins its tour with a warm-up match against a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in Adelaide on Saturday. — AP

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