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InDepth headlines national business sports cricket regional entertainment technology world travel autos health | in-depth coverage > ICC Champions Trophy 2002 > Can Kangaroos ‘beard’ Lankan lions in their den? 16.56 IST 26th Sept 2002 By IndiaExpress Bureau It will be a battle royal between the ‘sultans of spin’ as hosts Sri Lanka clash with world champions Australia in the second semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on September 27. While Sri Lanka will rely heavily on Muttiah Muralitharan to take them to the final, leggie Shane Warne is expected to play the pivotal role in putting the Aussies in the final against India on Sunday. The Kangaroos may be world champions. But Sri Lank on home ground is a different kettle of fish. The Australians will find it extremely difficult to fend off the rampaging ‘tigers’ out to ‘draw blood’, egged on by a partisan crowd. The odds are also against Australia. Lanka’s track record on the ground is remarkable. Out of the 45 matches they have played at Premadasa, the home team has won 32, lost 11, with two no-result matches. The Lankans have also come out victorious in 14 of the past 17 matches there. “It’s a massive test against this team in their own backyard,” Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said. “They not only play Sri Lankan conditions well, they play that ground well - they’ve shown that,” Gilchrist said. Since 1996, which saw the first multi-team tournament with a grand final at Premadasa, Sri Lanka, has won six of seven finals played there. They have won a title every year barring in 1998, when the hosts lost a thriller to India by six runs. Australia and Sri Lanka have played each other 43 times in One Day Internationals. Aussies have won 28 matches and lost 13. Two matches produced no result. The most memorable Sri Lankan win over Australia came in the final of the 1996 World Cup in Lahore. Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Bevan, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Adam Gilchrist, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Shane Watson. Sri Lanka (from): Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Upul Chandana, Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Dharmasena, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Hasantha Fernando, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas. Umpires: Steve Bucknor and David Orchard. Third umpire: Rudi Koertzen. Fourth umpire: Srinivas Venkataraghavan. Match referee: Wasim Raja. in-depth coverage > ICC Champions Trophy 2002 > |
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