Pata
04-04-2007, 08:06 AM
By Mark Meadows
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (Reuters) - England have been throwing sidearm deliveries at their batsmen in the nets to prepare them for facing Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga in the World Cup Super Eights on Wednesday.
Malinga, who became the first international cricketer to take four wickets in four balls in the defeat by South Africa, has an unusually low, slingy action that generates prodigious swing.
"We've tried our best to emulate the trajectory of Malinga and the angle that he comes and the height but it is quite difficult to get the pace," England captain Michael Vaughan told reporters on Tuesday.
"So it is a bit of the unknown tomorrow. The guys playing against him in the test series last year did okay. He has had one decent game in the tournament when he got four in four balls but he is also going for runs as well."
However, he was less sure that a batsman could ever properly prepare for facing mercurial Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
"It's very hard to emulate Muralitharan in the nets."
Sri Lanka humiliated England 5-0 in a one-day series last year. Another defeat for England on Wednesday would greatly cut their chances of qualifying for the semi-final.
The seven-week tournament, the first time the event has been held in the Caribbean, culminates in the final on April 28 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
ST JOHN'S, Antigua (Reuters) - England have been throwing sidearm deliveries at their batsmen in the nets to prepare them for facing Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga in the World Cup Super Eights on Wednesday.
Malinga, who became the first international cricketer to take four wickets in four balls in the defeat by South Africa, has an unusually low, slingy action that generates prodigious swing.
"We've tried our best to emulate the trajectory of Malinga and the angle that he comes and the height but it is quite difficult to get the pace," England captain Michael Vaughan told reporters on Tuesday.
"So it is a bit of the unknown tomorrow. The guys playing against him in the test series last year did okay. He has had one decent game in the tournament when he got four in four balls but he is also going for runs as well."
However, he was less sure that a batsman could ever properly prepare for facing mercurial Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
"It's very hard to emulate Muralitharan in the nets."
Sri Lanka humiliated England 5-0 in a one-day series last year. Another defeat for England on Wednesday would greatly cut their chances of qualifying for the semi-final.
The seven-week tournament, the first time the event has been held in the Caribbean, culminates in the final on April 28 in Bridgetown, Barbados.