Previewing the Champions League T20: Wayamba
Wayamba is the only representation from Sri Lanka in the Champions League T20 this year and will look to better their previous year’s performance when they lost both their first round matches. What remains to be seen is whether they are able to overcome the seaming South African tracks and bat well against the more fancied teams.
How they got there:
Wayamba are one of the few teams which have got to the Champions League T20 this year without having lost any game in their qualifiers. They won all seven games in the Inter-Provincial T20 tournament in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 to qualify for this mega event.
The Inter-Provincial T20 tournament in Sri Lanka was a six-team event, with each of the sides playing each other once. At the end of the league stage of the tournament, Wayamba had won all their five matches. They batted second in four out of the five games and won them comfortably, and even when they batted first, the win margin was 27 runs.
In the semi-finals, they faced Basnahira (South) and hammered them by nine wickets and with almost seven overs to spare. In the process, they booked their place in the final against Ruhuna. One would have expected something better from the oppositions in the final, but what followed was carnage. Wayamba smashed 208/8 in the 20 overs, and in reply, the opposition was bowled out for a meagre 113 to give them a 95-run win.
Wayamba had qualified for the Champions League in 2009 as well, but lost to Victoria and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 and hence, crashed out of the tournament in the first round itself.
Strengths:
wayamba is one of the best all-round sides and consists of some big-ticket players. There is Mahela Jayawardene at the top of the order, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis and Thissara Perera. This star-studded line-up allows the youngsters to concentrate on their game rather than worry about a high-profile tournament like the Champions League T20, and that is their biggest strength.
Weaknesses:
It is the Sri Lankan side’s inexperience at having played in conditions like the ones found in South Africa in September. The ball will do its bit in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757, and for a team from the sub-continent, this will be their biggest test. The opposition will know this and unleash a barrage of pace bowlers at Wayamba.
Players to watch out for:
One gets the sense that Jayawardene will be expected to open the innings, and how he handles the new ball will go a long way in understanding how the side goes about its business in the tournament. Mendis may not have the conditions in his favour, but his sheer variety should make life difficult for the opposition, whereas Welegedara will get the swing he so missed back home against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Wayamba’s fixtures:
Wayamba will play Warriors on September 11, Chennai on September 15, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Central-Districts-c777 on September 22
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