Beware of the Englishmen No other team has survived more hazards than England to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Every match they’ve played in the league phase was far more exhilarating than a James Bond flick, offering innumerable twists and thrilling climaxes. Let’s take quick glance at England’s perilous journey in the league matches. They started with a nervy six-run win over Netherlands, tied with India, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh. Scampered home against South Africa and the West Indies to remain in contention for a spot in the last eight, which was confirmed after the Proteas eased past Bangladesh.
Now, the business end of the tournament, a knock-out match against hosts Sri Lanka, is upon England and they are still not precisely a convincing side.
En route to a berth in the quarterfinals, they also have lost some key players like Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Ajmal Shehzad to injuries. But to their credit England have showed a bulldoggish tenacity to hang in there and chart their destiny.
The former runners-up will now have to show that famed English resolve once again as they will be up against a confident foe playing in familiar conditions.
At home, Sri Lanka are a massive force aided by the presence of players like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga.
The variety in their rank is quite breathtaking as they have men for almost every occasion and condition. Except a bad day in office against Pakistan, the Lankans looked darn classy. England, however, offer a completely different view as they rely on a few individuals to keep them afloat. The ’92 finalists depend on skipper Andrew Strauss (329 at 54.83) and Jonathan Trott (336 at 56.00) to put a formidable total on the board while Ian Bell has largely been patchy.
Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan have shouldered their bowling department with courage, without much support from other end. So, England might not paint you a pretty picture but they can grind and wrestle an opponents down. Winning ugly has been their motto in this tournament.
“We have been involved in some really close contests in the tournament so far, but now we are searching for consistency as the event reaches the knockout tournament,” said Ian Bell, who also has struggled for consistency in the tournament.
The biggest test England will face against Sri Lanka is their plethora of spinners -- Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath. The biggest total piled up at the R Premadasa stadium so far has been 277 that Pakistan made against the home side a couple of weeks ago. However, England has the experience of turning losing matches into winning ones as they have done against South Africa and the West Indies at Chennai on a tough pitch.
The pitch at the Premadasa might not hold as much difficulties as the one at the MA Chidambaram stadium, but that experience will stand in good stead for the Englishmen.
Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara acknowledged it. “That they have not played in Sri Lanka might not be any disadvantage to England as they have been stretched and tested enough in the tournament. So, we need to be cautious about them as they can be a real threat on any given day,” Sangakkara said.
Sangakkara’s words hold a lot of truth. This England side is devoid of big stars and they might not top anybody’s favourite list. But be wary of this bunch, they can deliver the knockout punch ever so discreetly.
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