JOHANNESBURG, 10 March 2003 — Sri Lanka’s star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will not target Sachin Tendulkar in today’s World Cup Super Sixes clash against India at the Wanderers here. He does not know how to do it. Muralitharan, voted Wisden’s best bowler ever in the history of the game, conceded it was not easy to bowl to the Indian maestro. “You just can’t fox Sachin,” the wily off-spinner said after his team’s nets yesterday. “He reads the ball so early. The class in him comes out when he picks the ball as soon as it is delivered from the bowler’s hand. “It’s always a challenge to bowl to Tendulkar and the other Indian batsmen. You just can’t target any one batsman. They are all so good. My aim will be to keep a tight check on the Indians. If I can pick up 4-5 wickets and help Sri Lanka win, I will be very happy.” Tendulkar, one-day cricket’s leading batsman, and Muralitharan form a mutual admiration society. When the duo met at the opening ceremony of the World Cup at Cape Town last month, Muralitharan walked up to Tendulkar and said: “I hope you get four or five centuries in the tournament. Tendulkar responded: “That is if you allow me to. I hope you get 30 wickets.” Muralitharan has so far taken 13 wickets in seven matches, three behind the leading tally of 16 by teammate Chaminda Vaas and West Indian Vasbert Drakes. Tendulkar is the top scorer in the tournament with 474 runs, which includes a 152 against Namibia, 98 off 75 balls against Pakistan and three other half-centuries. Indian captain Saurav Ganguly said his batsmen will not have problems dealing with Muralitharan’s variety. “Murali has developed the wrong one recently but it is not that it can’t be picked,” he said. “Our batsmen are good players of spin bowling.”
DJ Banned After Sri Lanka
‘Vermin’ Outburst
JOHANNESBURG — A South African radio presenter has been suspended from his job after making a series of insulting remarks about the Sri Lanka team following their dramatic tie which knocked the hosts out of the World Cup. The Sri Lankan manager Ajit Jayasekera branded Daryl Ilbury a “lunatic” for his comments which included describing the Sri Lankan team as “vermin” and that they should “get out of our shores.” The DJ added that the players’ “mothers are men” and they “have long stupid names.” Jayasekera said the outburst was just a case of sour grapes after Monday’s match in Durban ended in a rain-affected tie which knocked the hosts out of the tournament and helped Sri Lanka into the second round. “We do not deem it worthy to demand an apology,” the team boss told the Sunday Times here. Ilbury, however, defended his outburst. “I jokingly teased them in a similar manner to which I have teased the Australian, New Zealand and England teams during the World Cup.”
We Need Two Captains,
Says England’s Hussain
LONDON — Nasser Hussain yesterday said he wanted to stay on as England’s Test captain after quitting at the helm of the one-day side that was knocked out in the first round of the World Cup. The 34-year-old also advocated the Australian policy of having separate Test and one-day captains to lessen the increased pressure which goes with the job. “On tour you have so many questions about so many thinks apart from yourself and England’s cricket,” Hussain wrote in his column in the Sunday Telegraph. “You have to talk about injuries, opposing players, about the International Cricket Council, the ECB, about political issues like Zimbabwe. Splitting the captaincy would help me if I was asked to stay on as Test captain and it would also help the new one-day skipper settle into the job. “If the whole captaincy is landed on one new individual, something in him will have to give.”
Yuvraj Shows His Love
for the Big Stage
JOHANNESBURG, — Yuvraj Singh, a former child film actor who switched careers to embrace India’s other passion, is finally shaking off criticism about his attitude and abilities. The 21-year-old left-hander has emerged as the prime finisher at the World Cup, sharing major partnerships in India’s last three victories over England, Pakistan and Kenya. Batting at number six, he has scored 195 runs in seven matches at an excellent average of 48.75 to add steel to the middle order. Yuvraj has shown he relishes the big stage. He hit his second consecutive 50 on Friday, an unbeaten 58 which took India to victory over Kenya in company with captain Saurav Ganguly. He demonstrated similar composure in his 53-ball unbeaten 50 which carried India to an emotional group win over Pakistan last week. Yuvraj made a dream first One-Day International innings in 2000, smashing a match-winning 84 in an upset Indian victory over Australia in the Champions Trophy in Nairobi. Coming shortly after his heroics with the World Cup winning under-19 team, Yuvraj seemed set for a smooth ride to the top. Instead, the slide began almost before the tournament ended. Attacked for his attitude in his subsequent poor run, Yuvraj soon found himself out of the side. Some even predicted he would go the way of his father Yograj, a fast bowler who was discarded after just one Test. But Ganguly remained steadfastly behind Yuvraj and he vindicated his captain’s faith last year with a breezy 69 to help propel India to victory over hosts England in a tri-series final. Yuvraj is also a brilliant cover point fielder.
Jayawardene Must End Form
Slump on His Own — Coach
JOHANNESBURG — Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore says it is up to Mahela Jayawardene to wrench himself out of his World Cup form-slump. The leading 25-year-old batsman has endured a miserable tournament, with 16 runs from five innings including a three-ball duck against Australia at Centurion on Friday. Whatmore said that he and his coaching staff had worked hard on the problem but the key lay within the player. “He has to come out of it himself,” Whatmore told reporters as he reflected on Sri Lanka’s 96-run loss to the world champions. “We have been giving him as much help as we can and he has batted in every net session. “He is more disappointed than anyone else but that is the way it goes sometimes. He is a special player and his contribution has been sadly missed.” Sri Lanka play India at The Wanderers today.
