Sri Lanka's captain Mahela Jayawardene insists the World Twenty20 final against the West Indies on Sunday will not hinge on just Chris Gayle's flamboyant batting.
Jayawardene, aiming to break his team’s losing sequence in three finals in major events, played down Gayle’s importance in the match, saying his team never planned for just one individual. “We have never gone after individuals,” Jayawardene told a media conference on Saturday. “Gayle is just another player in a very good West Indies side. But we plan and analyse for a team, not individuals.
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Chris Gayle hits a six against Australia in Colombo on Friday. Pic/Getty Images.
“The West Indies obviously had a ball with the bat against Australia. But it’s a new game on Sunday and everything will depend on how we execute our plans.u00a0“Its a great challenge to have as a team.”
Jayawardene scoffed at Gayle’s remarks that the West Indies were going to ruin Sri Lanka’s party by winning the title. “I can’t make out if the pressure is on us or him,” the Sri Lankan captain said. “If he has said something like that, the pressure must be more on him. Let him deal with it.”
Sri Lanka are looking for their first major title since the 1996 triumph in the 50-over World Cup, lost two successive finals of the same tournament in 2007 and 2011 and were also beaten in the World Twenty20 in 2009.
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