http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397 apprehensive about wind factor - Cricket News Update
Sri Lankan captain, Mahela Jayawardene, expressed his concerns over the howling winds which embrace the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium on a frequent basis. His views come just ahead of the clash against India on Tuesday.
The area’s reputation for harbouring strong gusts of wind has been a matter of concern for players in the past. The ground which was initially built to host the 2011 Cricket World Cup is one of the largest grounds in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 and has a seating capacity
of 34,300 people. The stadium has been expanded to accommodate a further 25,700 people ahead of the ICC World T20, which will be played in September.
The pitch is in close proximity to a line of forests which has made the ground prone to some rash conditions, where fielding sides bowling first have had to bear the brunt of afternoon currents. Hambantota was the sight of Sri Lanka’s first http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Keith-Alan-Parsons-c70573 wind power
plant of 3MW, which was set up in 1999 by the Ceylon Electricity Board.
Jayawardene acknowledged that the ball also tends to travel quicker on one side of the field, whereas top edges which fly down to third man or the fielders patrolling the boundaries, often drop short of those attempting to catch the ball on the other side.
"When we were fielding, the challenge for us was the wind," Jayawardene said. "It was quite windy so it was tough for the bowlers as well as some of the guys were off balance. Then, you have to protect one side of the ground better
than the other side. This venue is throwing up a lot of different challenges. You need to adapt to it," Jayawardene said
Sri Lanka lost the first ODI of the Micromax Cup of 2012 to India by 21 runs after India had won the toss and elected to bat first. Jayawardene’s apprehensions with regard to the wind factor however, go back to the games played in
the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Sehwag-c2739 considered the breeze to be significant, yet not something that his team should worry about.
"……We have played in Dambulla and in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Wellington-c864, now we are used to the wind."
India and Sri Lanka will take on each other in the second ODI of the Micromax Cup on Tuesday, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 already having gained a 1-0 lead in the five match ODI series. The last game was a high scoring affair, where both sides managed
to post totals in excess of 250. The batsmen are expected to dominate once again on a placid pitch, with strong chances of thunder storms.
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