The Lions are one of the favorites to win the World Cup, but skipper Kumar Sangakkara vowed not to take the Canadians lightly. Sangakkara said: “I am sure all of them (the smaller teams) are capable of doing something special when the occasion comes. You have to be very wary of these sides and make sure you play your best when you play them.”
And according to specialist batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who will be playing in his fourth and probably his last World Cup, it would be a “big disappointment” if Sri Lanka fails to win the competition.
This will be only the second time these teams are meeting in the One Day International format. In the 2003 World Cup, the North Americans were shot out for 36. It was the shortest match played in World Cup history lasting just 23.2 overs in total with Sri Lanka winning with nine wickets in hand inside five overs.
However, the entire cricketing infrastructure in Canada has improved since then. The North Americans, who had to win a playoff against Afghanistan to reach this tournament, had a pretty decent performance against England in their second warm-up match after beating the Netherlands in their first game by four wickets.
England, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and India are the toughest teams. But we think Pakistan is really the dark horse, a team that can change the outcome of this tournament.
UPDATE: Sri Lanka defeated Canada by 210 runs. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 50 runs for the Lions, while Rizwan Cheema led Canada’s reply with 37.
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