`It has been great so far' - says Jayawardene
By Roger Persaud
Stabroek News
March 27, 2007
"It has been great so far," was the response from Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene at a press conference held at the Providence stadium yesterday.
"When you get to a new venue it is like a fresh start but then you have to adjust to new conditions but we have enjoyed it," he said in response to a question about travelling to the different venues in the Caribbean for their matches.
"The (Providence) pitch looks flatter than the Queen's Park pitch which was bouncy but our quick bowlers adjusted well there and we benefited. We do not yet know whether this pitch will favour us or not," he said.
When asked about going up against the South Africans Jayawardene said:"We compete well with South Africa, yes they are the number-one team but this is an important Super 8 match. We played the same team about six months ago in Australia and they, like any side, have their weaknesses and strengths which we will have to be cognizant of."
Asked if he was aware that Sri Lanka was being called the `Sleeping Giant' as they had the most balanced team in this competition Jayawardene replied:"We cannot control what people call us but we came to the World Cup believing we need balance for the various conditions we expect to encounter in the tournament."
Asked whether he was concerned about overconfidence creeping into the team since they made such light work of the vaunted Indian team, Jayawardene said:"We never get overconfident. We know we played well and our focus is to continue."
He said he was happy India and Pakistan were eliminated from the competition.
"Those are two powerful teams we no longer have to worry about and that is good for us, we can only play the teams that are left."
In response to the suggestion that the Sri Lankan team seemed ruthless and the question whether that was planned Jayawardene said:"That is how we played at home and we were always trying to bring that level of intensity on tour and now maybe we have succeeded."
"When you have the opponent down you must finish him off," he added.
Jayawardene said coach Tom Moody had brought a lot to the table. "He has pushed us past our comfort zone and made us mentally tougher as a team, but this has been an all out effort by the entire team."