Sri Lanka are looking to end their long stay in Bangladesh on a high note by clinching the eluded ICC World Twenty20 title as they prepare to face India today in the final at Mirpur. Sri Lanka arrived in Bangladesh long before the start of the ICC World T20 2014 to take part in a bilateral series consisting of two Test matches, two T20 internationals and three one-day internationals.
The Islanders were unbeaten throughout the series across all formats against the Tigers and followed up their success by triumphing in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, a tournament in which they participated immediately after the conclusion of the bilateral series.
‘We won the Asia Cup, and tomorrow is a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves once more,’ Lankan captain Lasith Malinga told reporters in the pre-match presser at Mirpur on Saturday.
‘We’ve been playing a lot of cricket in Bangladesh. Everyone is looking forward to doing their job and giving 100% to the national team.
‘Everyone trusts us to give our best. If we do that, given that we’re used to the pitches and the conditions here, we should have a good chance,’ he said.
Malinga believes that they can bring down the Indians despite them being the slight favourites due to their unbeaten run in the tournament.
‘The final is a big game, the tension is completely different. Whoever plays well on the day will win,’ said Malinga adding that he has a premonition that someone will come up with something special to stop the world’s leading batting sensation, Virat Kohli.
Kohli scored a brilliant unbeaten 72 in the semi-final against South Africa to guide the Indians to the final and remains one of their major contributors in the tournament.
Kohli is the leading run-scorer of the competition with 242 runs under his belt from five matches with an astronomical average of 121 and is once again expected be one of the stars of the final.
‘We all know Virat is a great player. But even the greatest player needs only one ball to get out,’ said Malinga.
‘I have a good feeling that someone from my side can bowl that one good ball tomorrow,’ said Malinga, adding that they are not making any extra plan for him.
‘We have to plan for all 20 overs as they have six or seven good batsmen.
‘We don’t think only about getting one particular batsman out because we have to focus on bowling 20 good overs.
‘Virat is a good player, but, if he gets a good ball, he too can get out,’ he added.
Malinga went on to pay tribute to stalwarts Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene as the experienced duo are set to quit the shortest format of the game after the final.
Sri Lanka have reached two finals each in the 50-over World Cup and World T20s but never managed to cross the ultimate borderline which prevented them from being the champions.
‘We all want to do our best for these two. It’s a special day tomorrow and we have to do something special,’ said Malinga.
-With New Age input
