England v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 – 5th ODI – Sri Lankan Batsmen to watch out for
The visiting Sri Lankan team will contest the English hosts in the 5th and deciding match of the 5-match ODI series, at Old Trafford, Manchester. The fixture will begin at 10:45 local time on Saturday, July 9, 2011, between the British lads and Sri Lankans
strugglers.
Four matches of the ODI series have been played so far and both the teams have remained successful in two games each.
The fifth match of the series will be a treat to watch for the viewers as this will be the deciding match of the series. The depleted Sri Lankan team had been losing the matches since the beginning of the tour, but made a strong comeback in the 2nd
and 3rd ODI.
The Lankan http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 won the 2nd ODI by 69 runs and 3rd ODI by 6 wickets, as four of their batsmen played splendid innings in these matches.
These batsmen were Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LD-Chandimal-c1831.
Opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Denagamage-Proboth-Mahela-de-Silva-Jayawardene-c53546 was unable to perform in the 1st match but came back in the 2nd and 3rd ODI with his marvelous innings of 144 runs and 79 runs respectively. This was a huge support to the crumbling team, and earned
the Sri Lankans their victories.
Jayawardene failed to build a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Griffith-c919 inning in the 4th ODI, but he is still one of the most dangerous batsmen who can pose a serious threat to the English bowling attack.
Wicket-keeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779 is another strong hitter in the Sri Lankan batting line-up, who can cause huge damage to the English team. So far he has not been in his true form, but showed a glimpse of his talent in the 2nd and 4th
fixture of the ODI series.
Middle-order batsman Sangakkara scored 69 runs in the 2nd ODI and 75 in the 4th contest. The 33-year-old batsman is coming back in action hence English bowlers should be aware of his immense potential.
Angelo Mathews, the tail ender, also supported Sri Lankans in the 2nd match by scoring 46 runs. Overall his performance has not been very prominent but his potential must not be underestimated by the English bowlers.
At the end comes Dinesh Chandimal, who is a silent peril to the English bowlers. He did not play the first fixture of the ODI series, but was brought in for the next games. Chandimal underplayed in the 2nd ODI but blasted an innings of 105 runs
off 196 balls in the 3rd match. His contribution, at a strike rate of 83.33, was the highest total of the day and earned the guests their second victory in the series.
The Sri Lankan Squad includes: DMPD Jayawardene, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RAS-Lakmal-c2287.
The final match on Saturday, July 9, will be the deciding match as to who will be the winner of 5-match ODI series. The element of uncertainty about the result adds further thrill and excitement to the match.
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