The Sri Lankan vice-captain, Kumar Sangakkara, today said his side has
an all-round attack and an "X-factor" to succeed in the upcoming four-match
one day series against India.
Sangakkara said while the visitors boasted a variety of pacers,
the arrival of sling-shot Lasith Malinga in particular had given their
bowling the extra ammunition to blast out any line-up.
"Lasith Malinga has brought that X factor into the side,
that bit of unpredictability," the wicketkeeper-batsman said.
"He bowls at 150 kmph-plus regularly. He is very accurate and got a very
positive attitude."
"That rubs off on all the guys in the team and when we play with him we
tend to be a bit more aggressive, a bit more positive, follow him along."
"We have got an all-round pace attack. We got a good balance,
got guys who bowl fast and guys who bowl line and length. Even those who bowl
fast are pretty accurate and have come a long way." Sangakkara said the
team from the Emerald Isle had the confidence from consistent performances in
recent months going into the series.
"Our confidence is pretty high with us playing good cricket for the last
six months. We have been improving steadily," he said.
"It's just been a case of challenging ourselves, getting
out of comfort zones and making sure we do everything right. So all the guys
are looking forward to a good competition," said Sangakkara after his team
defeated Mumbai XI by a 156-run margin in a warm-up tie today.
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