Jayawardene downplays significance of Gayle in World T20 final – Cricket News Update
Speaking on the eve of his team’s clash with the West Indies in the final of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221, claiming his side were planning to target the
entire team, and unconcerned with individual players.
“We have never gone after individuals,” Jayawardene said while speaking at a media conference today, on October 6. “Gayle is just another player in a very good West Indies side. But we plan and analyse for a team, not individuals.
“The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 obviously had a ball with the bat against Australia. But it’s a new game on Sunday and everything will depend on how we execute our plans,” he added. “It’s a great challenge to have as a team.”
Sri Lanka qualified for the final of the World Twenty20 after defeating http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 by 16 runs in a semi-final at the R Premadasa in Colombo on October 4. The qualification provides the team an exciting opportunity to have a shot at attempting to win a major
title, with their last victory in a large-scale tournament having been their 1996 World Cup triumph.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 and the West Indies, from which the latter emerged triumphant on October 5.
Australia started out as one of the more dominant sides in the tournament, but the team ran out of steam near the end of the competition, following up their 32-run loss against Pakistan with a massive 74-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies. The Windies,
meanwhile, appear to be peaking at the right time, as displayed by their recent win.
The victory hinged largely on a stellar innings by Player of the Match Chris Gayle, who opened for the team, and remained unbeaten on 75 (including 6 sixes and 5 fours), guiding his side up to a mammoth total of 205, which the Aussies were unable to chase.
Currently the second highest run-getter in the tournament (with 219 runs from 5 innings), in addition to having smashed the most sixes (16), Gayle is bound to prove a major threat to the Lankans, with Aussie skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Bailey-c1480 having insisted that the
host team’s ticket to victory is the early dismissal of the Jamaican left-hander. However, Jayawardene has undermined the threat, vowing to treat Gayle as just another player in the opposition.
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