COLOMBO – Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said dangerous fast bowler Lasith Malinga was likely to feature in the crucial World Cup clash against Pakistan on Saturday. The 27-year-old quick, whose slingy action has made him the spearhead of Sri Lanka’s attack, bowled in the nets under close scrutiny from team physio Tommy Simsek. He missed Sri Lanka’s comprehensive 210-run win against Canada on Sunday because of a back strain and had not bowled until Friday.
“He (Malinga) had just pulled up a bit stiff before the first game. We are just making sure that he is 100 per cent before we start playing him because we have a long World Cup campaign,” Sangakkara said. “I am sure he is pretty fit for selection for this one and, hopefully, if the physio clears him, we can have him on the park tomorrow.” But Sangakkara said Sri Lanka were anxious not to rush Malinga back as he “is the most important player for us in a big tournament like this.”
The skipper said Group A opponents Pakistan were a dangerous side. “I think Pakistan is a great side. They’ve got great balance, they’ve got match-winning cricketers, not just one but quite a lot of them, so any opposition is wary of them and we are not going to take anything lightly or for granted. “We are just going to go out there, do the best that we can do and hope that’s enough,” said Sangakkara, who played down Sri Lankan’s record of no wins against Pakistan in World Cups.
“I wasn’t really aware of that history so maybe it’s time to change that now and hopefully tomorrow if we can do our basics better than Pakistan, I think we have a pretty good chance,” said Sangakkara. Pakistan have won all six World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, but the sides have not met in cricket’s showpiece event since the 1992 edition in Australia and New Zealand, which Pakistan won.
