India may have done Sri Lanka a favour while England will hope they have not lost momentum with Kevin Pietersen flying home and back as Sri Lanka and England face off in the first semi final in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.
Sri Lanka fell into a bit of a doldrum and the win against India would have woken up their hunger once more and made them realize that the journey to the top is not that far anymore. Two good matches and the trophy that eluded them in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 could be theirs.
Their record on the points table is not a match for England, but the semi final does not take into account past record or points but rather, what the team does on the day. In that sense, Sri Lanka may have been a sleeping giant waking up to an intense qualification, beating India, and finding that the surface may actually suit their style of slow bowling, clearly advantage over what England have to offer in the same department.
But what England have going is the winning momentum and a great deal of consistency unlike seen before. They have been the team, besides Australia, that have shown the mettle to survive in style. While they will be up against an opponent they have not faced in the tournament so far, they will be comforted knowing one of their key performers in this edition, Kevin Pietersen, is back following the birth of his baby boy.
England have had a good all round performance to get them as far as they have. But even with the momentum behind them, they will know that there is pressure on the team to address the fact that they do not have a major ICC Trophy on their mantle. If they can keep that pressure at bay and do what they have been doing so far, then their victory will depend on how the slightly more erratic Sri Lanka gear themselves for this momentous stage and crack England’s code.
Rest of the schedule is as follows:
Thu May 13
Sri Lanka fell into a bit of a doldrum and the win against India would have woken up their hunger once more and made them realize that the journey to the top is not that far anymore. Two good matches and the trophy that eluded them in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 could be theirs.
Their record on the points table is not a match for England, but the semi final does not take into account past record or points but rather, what the team does on the day. In that sense, Sri Lanka may have been a sleeping giant waking up to an intense qualification, beating India, and finding that the surface may actually suit their style of slow bowling, clearly advantage over what England have to offer in the same department.
But what England have going is the winning momentum and a great deal of consistency unlike seen before. They have been the team, besides Australia, that have shown the mettle to survive in style. While they will be up against an opponent they have not faced in the tournament so far, they will be comforted knowing one of their key performers in this edition, Kevin Pietersen, is back following the birth of his baby boy.
England have had a good all round performance to get them as far as they have. But even with the momentum behind them, they will know that there is pressure on the team to address the fact that they do not have a major ICC Trophy on their mantle. If they can keep that pressure at bay and do what they have been doing so far, then their victory will depend on how the slightly more erratic Sri Lanka gear themselves for this momentous stage and crack England’s code.
Rest of the schedule is as follows:
Thu May 13
15:30 GMT |21:30 PST
1st Semi-Final - SRI LANKA V ENGLAND
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Fri May 14
5:30 GMT |21:30 PST
2nd Semi-Final - PAKISTAN V AUSTRALIA
Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Sun May 16
15:30 GMT |21:30 PST
Final - SRI LANKA / ENGLAND V PAKISTAN / AUSTRALIA
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
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