Sri Lanka aims to improve its world ranking

Captain Shashikala Siriwardena says her team has overcome batting weaknesses and can make it into the top four

Sri Lanka has overcome the chronic batting weaknesses that have plagued the team in recent years, according to the team’s captain and the team has set the target of improving on the its current world ranking of number six at next month’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 to be staged in Australia from 7 to 22 March.

Sri Lanka lost to England by nine wickets in the quarter-final of its World Cup debut in India in 1997 but finished sixth in the 2000 and 2005 events in New Zealand and South Africa, respectively.

In the three World Cups, Sri Lanka has played 17 matches and has reached triple figures only seven times – 104 against England (1997), 129 against Ireland, 134 against South Africa, 139 against the Netherlands, 137-9 against England (all in 2000), and 152 against the West Indies and 158 against South Africa (both in 2005).

And Sri Lanka’s three lowest World Cup totals were four years ago – 57 against Australia, 58 against New Zealand and 70 against England.

Captain Shashikala Siriwardena, who played in the 2005 World Cup, says her team has worked extremely hard on its batting which has made the team better prepared than ever before. “Our batting let us down in the previous three events but we have worked extremely hard this time.

“We have attended extra batting sessions and concentrated hard in all the matches in the lead-up to the World Cup, be it the Asia Cup, home series against the West Indies or the triangular series in Bangladesh,” the 24-year-old all-rounder from Colombo said.

In World Cups, Sri Lanka averages 116.33 while batting first but the average drops further to just 88.62 when it is chasing targets. However, the last 13 matches, Sri Lanka has averaged 185 in the first innings and 155 in the second innings, statistics which seem to back up Siriwardena’s view that things are on the up.

“We have to put method in our batting and try to make optimum use of the 50 overs that will be at our disposal if we’re making first use of the wicket. If we are chasing targets, we will need to keep cool heads on our shoulders and avoid creating a panic if a few overs fail to produce runs.

“Of course, good running between the wickets will also help our cause as in the past we have thrown matches away due to needless run-outs.

“PowerPlays are not new to us as we have tried them in the last three series and have found the concept very exciting. But you have to be intelligent when batting in PowerPlays. Also, you need to be tactical before calling for your batting PowerPlay so that you use the field restrictions to your advantage.

“Our target is to improve our current ranking and finish in the top four which would not only allow us to automatically qualify for the 2013 World Cup in India but would also help us prove that women’s cricket in Sri Lanka is getting stronger,” said the veteran of 40 ODIs.

The top four teams from the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 will automatically qualify for the 2013 event to be staged in India while the fifth and sixth-placed teams will earn direct spots in the 10-team ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2011 where they will be joined by eight other sides – two each from Africa and Europe, and one each from Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions – who will qualify from their own regional qualifying tournaments.

Siriwardena said women’s cricket in Sri Lanka was in a very important phase at the moment and it was imperative for her side to give a good account of itself in Australia. “In Australia, some of the players will be appearing for Sri Lanka for the last time and surely they want to sign off on a high and leave women’s cricket in Sri Lanka in a take-off position so that the next generation can take it to the next level.

“It is an important phase for women’s cricket in Sri Lanka and it’s very important for us to show what we capable of and give a good account of ourselves.

“We have a good blend of youth and experience, and the team is in very high spirits. The mood in the camp is heart-warming as everyone is looking forward to play its part in the success of the team.”

Sri Lanka is pooled with two-time former champion England and south Asian rivals India and Pakistan in Group B. Sri Lanka has never beaten England or India but it has never lost to Pakistan. “I think we are good enough to play in the Super Six stage and a much better side than the results reflect.

“But if we have set our target to finish in the top four, then we have to win more than one match in the first round and at least a couple of matches in the Super Six stage.

“If we win two matches in the first round, we will take carry-over points in the Super Six stage which will play a crucial role in our final standing.

“We have played a number of matches against India and Pakistan and know their strengths and weaknesses and what we need to do to beat them. We have never beaten India but at least we know what we need to do to overpower them. It is all about executing the game plan.

“We haven’t played England since our match with them in the 2005 World Cup (England won by 214 runs) and that makes our tournament opener a challenging one. There is always a first time and I hope Australia is the place where break our win drought against these two powerhouses of women’s cricket.”

According to Siriwardena, Sri Lanka could be the surprise package of the tournament while England is the tournament favourite. “We have the talent to beat to best. We will not be short of any motivation or confidence. In Australia, we will try to translate the talent into winning performances.

“I have a lot of respect for the England team for the way it has played in the last couple of years. The players have got better with every match and you can see the difference in their attitude and approach and lot of it has to do with the way Charlotte Edwards has transformed her side.

“I am a big fan of Charlotte and I will be looking forward to seeing her in Australia. I want to learn a lot from her about captaincy, batting, preparing the side for any series and how to approach and react in various situations.

“Cricket is all about sharing knowledge and experience. I think we should be grateful to the ICC for providing us such a fantastic platform from where we can only become better sportspersons,” said Siriwardena.

Sri Lanka has two warm-up matches in the lead up to the main tournament. On Tuesday 3 March, it will play New South Wales at Old Kings and will face Australia on Wednesday 4 March at Manly.

Sri Lanka squad – Shashikala Siriwardena (captain), Chamani Seneviratne (vice-captain), Suwini de Alwis, Hiruka Fernando, Rose Fernando, Inoka Galagedara, Gayathri Kariyawasam, Eshani Lokusooriya, Dilani Manodara, Chamari Polgampola, Udeshika Prabodani, Deepika Rasangika, Dedunu de Silva, Sripali Weerakkody, Chandi Wickremasinghe.
ICC Media Release
Monday, February 23, 2009 1:33:29 PM