3 stalwarts, plus Yardley146;s bowling tips

Lankans have prepared intently for another big success

Sri Lanka have a sense of deja vu, here in India, as they prepare to put their best foot forward in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy. Ten years ago, they had displayed some attacking cricket of the highest order to take home the World Cup 8212; their first 8212; and are now hoping to recreate some history on the same soil.

Since then, players have changed, so has the coach. The team has a new captain, a younger generation has taken over, there have been slumps and there has been glory. But if there8217;s one thing that8217;s remained the same for the Lankans, it has been the overriding presence of three versatile cricketers in the side throughout the decade.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas 8212; the trio was impeccable in its contribution to the Lankan team then, and nothing seems to have changed now. They have seen the good and bad times of Lankan cricket and know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

Therefore, even as Lanka now continue to ride a wave of success, these three pillars in the team have been busy sorting out loopholes that greenhorns often fail to notice in their quest for the trophy.

Knowing that everything has been going well for the team on the batting front, the Lankans are now busy sorting out the weaknesses that they have been able to see on the bowling front. Tom Moody, their Australian coach, in consultation with the seniors 8212; Vaas, Murali and Jayasuriya 8212; has invited former Australian bowler Bruce Yardley to be with the team in their quest to get better.

8220;I8217;m not a consultant or anything. I8217;m just a friend,8217;8217; says Yardley, who along with Bruce Reid was the only bowler to pick 100 wickets for Australia without playing against England. 8220;They have asked me to be there and so I am. I have just been sorting out a few things for them and that is all I can tell you now,8217;8217; he says.

8220;There have been a few things that we needed to get corrected and so we8217;ve been working on it,8217;8217; says Vaas.

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Sri Lanka in their last couple of matches have given away quite a few extras, apart from not being able to restrict opponents to lesser totals. 8220;That8217;s an area we8217;re thinking hard about. We believe that Indian wickets, similar to 1996, will support batsmen well and we need to be prepared,8217;8217; says Vaas.

For the Lankan team, the qualifying matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have been nothing less than unnecessary PR exercises which they have would have been happy to miss. 8220;The important one will be against the West Indies and we hope to get some good performances under the belt before we move on,8217;8217; says Vaas.

While the Lankan bowlers aren8217;t sure whether they 8212; bowlers like Vaas and Murali 8212; need a full time bowling coach, Yardley8217;s brief presence, says Vaas 8220;has been helpful to the seniors and more so to the youngsters in the side.8217;8217;