Mahela attributes success to being consistent

Red carpet welcome for team:

Ranjan ANANDAPPA

The triumphant Sri Lanka cricketers who won the Asia Cup for the fourth time, while retaining it, beating India returned to the Island yesterday morning to a Red Carpet welcome at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

After religious observences skipper Mahela Jayawardena attributed the success to being consistent from the begining. He admitted that the players rallied round as a team throughout the tournament coupled with hard work and the ultimate result was victory.

‘Champion off spinner Muthiah Muralitharan paid tribute to the new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis who paved the way for a Sri Lanka victory in the final. He said that Mendis is bowling extremely well and no doubt is a big find, and if he continues to bowl in the same vein he could get lots of wickets.

But he said, however, the opposition will soon start scrutinising his bowling, which happens very often to most bowlers, and may play him more comfortably later on. But he stressed, that if he continues to bowl well consistently Mendis could still maintain his wicket taking ability.

The Minister of Sports and Recreation Gamini Lokuge, Secretary Sri Lanka Cricket K. Mathivanan, Cricket Committee Members Sidath Wettimuny, Premasara Epasinghe were present with Sri Lanka Cricket Officials on the teams’s arrival.

When asked, the Sri Lanka vice captain whether the win is a morale booster for the forthcoming Indian tour of Sri Lanka he rated every win as a morale booster.

“Every single win is a morale booster, but the most important thing is we have won the Asia Cup, that means for the time being we are the number one team in Asia,” said Sangakkara.

Refering to Ajantha Mendis bowling from a wicket keeper’s point of view Sangakkara said: “It is something very exciting, something very different, I think the best thing about him is, it is not just the variety, he is an intelligent bowler, who has a strength of character that makes him use what he has a lot better than other bowlers can.

Now that he has come out to be in one day cricket he should be the ideal spin partner for Murali and we’ll have to wait and see how it goes in Test cricket,” said the Sri Lankan vice captain.

He rated the forthcoming Indian tour as a tough one.

“It’s going to be a tough Indian tour, everyone knows that. They are a great side with a fantastic batting line up with two quality spinners coming down, and as long as we play to our strengths and abilities we should be able to win.”

The Sri Lankan coach Trevor Bayliss said that all the hard work that the boys have been putting in the last few months have paid off, and all credit should go to the players.

Bayliss refering to Ajantha Mendis said that he is still early in his career and the press has been leading the line, and he is a lad who should be allowed to do what he does. The best thing is to bowl and take wickets.

Refering to the Indian tour Bayliss said that, being beaten in the Asia Cup final, they will no doubt come hard at us.