Bet’s against the Punter
Ricky Ponting looked understandably pensive as he sat in a corner seat of the team hotel restaurant on Sunday morning quietly sipping his cappuccino, with nothing more than his cell phone for company and a scowl to scare away any intruders.
After his team's stunning defeat to West Indies, he must be a worried man, especially when he faces a no-win-must-win situation against Sri Lanka on Monday, that too so early in a competition, whose trophy is the sole one missing from Australia's national hall of cricket collectibles.
Of course, the friendly nose-and-cheek poke he gave to mate Mike Hussey on the next table as a break from serious introspection, buttressed the claim of bro David Hussey later in the day that, "Australia performs best from a corner so we will go out with all guns blazing against the Lankans."
That is sure to happen, but the Lankans, who practised for the crucial game at the indoor nets due to rains, have gathered enough momentum to combat the additional dose of aggression that will come their way at the Trent. But as the island's new skipper Kumara Sangakkara said with a lot of assurance, "The pressure will be on them, but we are not taking victory for granted. They will come hard at us and we have to be ready to stand tall."
A lot of determination has come to the Lankan team after the debilitating Lahore attack even though Mahela Jayawardene has since shed off the mantle. As Sangakkara added, it is his team's goal for now to reach the semi-finals and not get stuck in the Super Eights stage only and downing the Aussies would be the first step in that right direction.
However, both Australia and Lanka have the added problem of surviving in a Group, which is being popularly tagged as the Group of Death and after Chris Gayle brought respectability and hope to his team's chances in this format with a blistering 88, which blew the Aussies away into a corner - it will be a yeomen task to emerge from there.
Considering this, Monday's match promises to be full of moments that Australia would be wishing away and Lanka working to impose on the no longer so mighty team from Down Under.
Adding to their campaign would be the infamous English weather which has been quite itself ever since the competition began, soaking the horizon wet with grey clouds and rain. On Monday, too, there is no let-up in offing with the weatherman predicting consistent showers and a temperature dipping to 9 degrees Celsius.
Lankans, as we know, are less adept at handling the freezing conditions so that would be one brownie for the Aussies, whose arm department must be smarting enough from the Gayle beating to be in for the big kill.
Mitchell Johnson's serious quickies and Brett Lee's botoxed performance index is always a thing to fear for, but, Lasith Malinga, to whom the Husseys, the Pups and the Punter would have to survive, is there as well and that too if at all they can manage to steer away the likes of Ajanta Mendis.
Of course, if the rain doesn't relent it would mean an Aussie ouster from the campaign which, in any case, will not be wholly positive even if they win on Monday. With a shameful -2.5 run rate on board a three-way win situation in the group would mean a massive disadvantage for the Aussies in the pick and chose round.
Which means the comeback of Australia will have to be pegged on a runs fest. So get set for a tense match that lends incredible moments to cricket, whatever the format.
And yes, Ponting may not tell you but that constant frown on his furrow somehow suggested that he was thinking of Symonds and his crippling absence even if he has officially told his mates in a team meeting after the liquor incident that "no more talking or thinking of Andrew. Let's get on with the job at hand mates." Well, only Symo would have best understood and responded to this cryptic advisory!
After his team's stunning defeat to West Indies, he must be a worried man, especially when he faces a no-win-must-win situation against Sri Lanka on Monday, that too so early in a competition, whose trophy is the sole one missing from Australia's national hall of cricket collectibles.
Of course, the friendly nose-and-cheek poke he gave to mate Mike Hussey on the next table as a break from serious introspection, buttressed the claim of bro David Hussey later in the day that, "Australia performs best from a corner so we will go out with all guns blazing against the Lankans."
That is sure to happen, but the Lankans, who practised for the crucial game at the indoor nets due to rains, have gathered enough momentum to combat the additional dose of aggression that will come their way at the Trent. But as the island's new skipper Kumara Sangakkara said with a lot of assurance, "The pressure will be on them, but we are not taking victory for granted. They will come hard at us and we have to be ready to stand tall."
A lot of determination has come to the Lankan team after the debilitating Lahore attack even though Mahela Jayawardene has since shed off the mantle. As Sangakkara added, it is his team's goal for now to reach the semi-finals and not get stuck in the Super Eights stage only and downing the Aussies would be the first step in that right direction.
However, both Australia and Lanka have the added problem of surviving in a Group, which is being popularly tagged as the Group of Death and after Chris Gayle brought respectability and hope to his team's chances in this format with a blistering 88, which blew the Aussies away into a corner - it will be a yeomen task to emerge from there.
Considering this, Monday's match promises to be full of moments that Australia would be wishing away and Lanka working to impose on the no longer so mighty team from Down Under.
Adding to their campaign would be the infamous English weather which has been quite itself ever since the competition began, soaking the horizon wet with grey clouds and rain. On Monday, too, there is no let-up in offing with the weatherman predicting consistent showers and a temperature dipping to 9 degrees Celsius.
Lankans, as we know, are less adept at handling the freezing conditions so that would be one brownie for the Aussies, whose arm department must be smarting enough from the Gayle beating to be in for the big kill.
Mitchell Johnson's serious quickies and Brett Lee's botoxed performance index is always a thing to fear for, but, Lasith Malinga, to whom the Husseys, the Pups and the Punter would have to survive, is there as well and that too if at all they can manage to steer away the likes of Ajanta Mendis.
Of course, if the rain doesn't relent it would mean an Aussie ouster from the campaign which, in any case, will not be wholly positive even if they win on Monday. With a shameful -2.5 run rate on board a three-way win situation in the group would mean a massive disadvantage for the Aussies in the pick and chose round.
Which means the comeback of Australia will have to be pegged on a runs fest. So get set for a tense match that lends incredible moments to cricket, whatever the format.
And yes, Ponting may not tell you but that constant frown on his furrow somehow suggested that he was thinking of Symonds and his crippling absence even if he has officially told his mates in a team meeting after the liquor incident that "no more talking or thinking of Andrew. Let's get on with the job at hand mates." Well, only Symo would have best understood and responded to this cryptic advisory!
Published June8, 2009, Sunday Pioneer http://www.dailypioneer.com/181573/Bet’s-against-the-Punter.html
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