Mentor brushes aside concern over Malinga

Malinga was not his usual best in the CB series, yet he was
easily the highest wicket taker

Sri Lanka's bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake has brushed aside any concerns about Lasith Malinga's form, saying that with the number of games Sri Lanka have been involved in Malinga was bound to have a poor game or two. Malinga comes in to the Asia Cup after an inconsistent performance in the Commonwealth Bank series in Australia, in which he was the leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps in 11 games but went at 6.21 runs per over.

Sri Lanka plays India again in Asia Cup

Dilshan is back at his best and could be a real threat to the opposition

Another ODI between India and Sri Lanka. Before you cringe in disgust, the mitigating factor in favour of the latest match is that it is not part of another hastily arranged bilateral series. The teams have no option but to meet once, at the least, in the Asia Cup. One silver lining, if it can be called that, for India on the disaster that was their recent tour of Australia was their performance against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank series, which culminated in that record chase led by Virat Kohli in Hobart. Out of four meetings between the two sides, India won two and tied another.

Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd final of the CB Series - Highlights

Part 1

The captain Sri Lanka have needed

"Every country needs to have the best captain, and the best captain in Sri Lanka is Mahela Jayawardene, and I think everybody knows that," Geoff Marsh said at the end of his brief stint as head coach. In March 2009, Jayawardene's first captaincy stint hit an abrupt blockade, figuratively and literally, when Sri Lanka's bus came under attack in Lahore. Three years of a different sort of tumult later, he is back at the helm. As the nine-run win in Melbourne and Sri Lanka's progression to the triangular series final proved, it's a job he should never have left.
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At last, let the finals begin

Finally, the finals. Nearly a month after the tournament began, Australia and Sri Lanka have been confirmed as the top two sides and India, the World Cup champions, are on their way home. Now it is down to the World Cup runners-up, a Sri Lankan side that looks strong under the leadership of their restored captain Mahela Jayawardene, and the No.1-ranked ODI side, an Australian outfit that disappointed at the World Cup but has made some positive steps towards regeneration.

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Sri Lanka vs Australia 12th match of the CB series - Highlights

Part 1

Mahela Jayawardene at the press conference on 24th Feb

Mahela Jayawardene after the win against Australia in Hobart

Jayawardene hails "special" Chandimal

Photo : AFP

Mahela Jayawardene believes Sri Lanka have found a special player in Dinesh Chandimal after his third half-century of the series helped set up a record chase at Bellerive Oval. Chandimal scored 80 and kept the chase on track after Jayawardene fell for 85, and although he was out to an ill-judged attempted paddle off Ryan Harris, he had done enough to allow the tail to finish the job.

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Sri Lanka vs Australia 9th match of the CB series - complete highlights

Part 1