The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Lanka's chances bright: Ranatunga

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Friday, Jul 09, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

Lanka's chances bright: Ranatunga

By Our Sports Reporter

KOZHIKODE, JULY 8. The Lankans may have lost inside three days to Australia in the first Test at Darwin, but their former captain, Arjuna Ranatunga believes they could still win the Asia Cup, which they are hosting this month.

"Of course, they have to perform well against India and Pakistan, and we could expect stiff competition in the tournament," said Ranatunga, who is the deputy Tourism and Investment Promotion Minister in the Sri Lankan Government, at a press conference here on Thursday.

He came here on a visit following the commencement of the direct flight service to Colombo from here.

"Lanka's chances are bright because they have the home advantage, and they are the only team with match practice," he said. "India and Pakistan haven't played any cricket for the last few weeks."

Ranatunga, one of the most inspirational captains, however, picked India as the favourite for the 2007 World Cup. "If India continues to perform the way they have for the last one year or so, they could win the Cup," said the man who led his team to the World Cup triumph in 1996. "But India should preserve a player like Anil Kumble carefully, just as Lanka will have to do in the case of Chaminda Vaas."

The present Lankan team lacked commitment, he said. "They have the talent, but they are not dedicated enough."

About Muttiah Muralitharan's decision to opt out of the on-going Australian tour, he said it was the correct one. "He has constantly been harassed by the Australians. And I don't think the Lankan board handled the Murali issue properly."

He, in fact, was rather critical of the board. "The board which had a fund of 1.2 billion Sri Lankan Rupees, is now running on an overdraft of 15 millions. The board is very corrupt."

He said Marvan Atapattu had the potential to be a good captain. "I'm glad that the team now has the same captain for both Tests and one-dayers," he said.

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