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April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s mild-mannered cricketers should be more aggressive if they want to beat the Australians in Saturday’s World Cup final, former Sri Lankan opening batsman Sidath Wettimuny said. “Sri Lankans need to show aggression in all departments of the game,” Wettimuny, Sri Lanka’s star opening batsman in its early years […]

April 26, 2007(LBO) – Cricket, perhaps the most influential sporting force in Sri Lanka during the last few months, which even led to an unofficial ceasefire between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, is starting to drive fans up the wall. “I cannot for the life of me, figure out why all of you are […]

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 25, 2007 (AFP) – Leading World Cup run-makers after the conclusion of the semi-finals on Wednesday (player, country, matches, runs, high score, average, 100s, 50s) Matthew Hayden (AUS) 10 621 158 77.62 3 1 Mahela Jayawardene (SRI) 10 529 115* 66.12 1 4 Ricky Ponting (AUS) 10 502 113 71.71 1 4 […]

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, April 26, 2007 (AFP) – South Africa captain Graeme Smith admitted on Thursday that he desperately needs a top class spinner if the Proteas are ever to win a World Cup.His plea came after watching his team crumble to a seven-wicket defeat to Australia in the semi-finals after being bowled out […]

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Australia v Sri Lanka head-to-head record ahead of the World Cup final at Kensington Oval here on Saturday: Total meetings: 64 Australia wins: 42 Sri Lanka wins: 20 Tied: 0 No Result: 2 Last 20 meetings 27/09/2002: Colombo Sri Lanka won by 7 wkts 22/12/2002: Perth Australia won […]

KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 25, 2007 (AFP) – Struggling pace bowler Dilhara Fernando is likely to be axed from Sri Lanka’s team for Saturday’s World Cup final after his disastrous performance in the semi-final win over New Zealand. “We have been talking about getting the basics right and putting the ball in the right areas.” Fernando […]

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Australia captain Ricky Ponting insists his world champions are ready to face down Sri Lanka’s veteran bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas in Saturday’s World Cup final.Australia have already beaten Sri Lanka in the tournament when they won their Super Eights clash by seven wickets in […]

April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s surge into cricket’s World Cup final this weekend has raised hopes of a peace dividend on an island united by sport but divided by conflict, even if no one is showing long-term optimism.Cricket is hugely popular in Sri Lanka and is seen as one of the few things […]

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Sport is war minus shooting, said George Orwell and Sri Lanka’s cricketers are doing their part in keeping the guns silent. Cricket is such an obsession in the strife-torn nation that the team’s progress to the World Cup final in the Caribbean has produced a temporary peace dividend […]

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, April 25, 2007 (AFP) – Glenn McGrath and Shaun Tait struck it rich as Australia stormed into a fourth successive World Cup final with a crushing seven-wicket win over South Africa here on Wednesday. South Africa were dismissed for 149, their lowest-ever Cup total as Tait finished with 4-39 while man-of-the-match […]