By S.R. Pathiravithana
A bevy of foreign stars including some of the biggest names in T-20 cricket, may be in action at the Sri Lanka Premier League in August this year.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger in cricket --- former West Indian captain Chris Gayle will be the main attraction while his Australian counterpart David Warner is also billed to be on show.
Besides the above, the legendary Australian leg spinner Shane Warne, who was not a part of this year’s IPL, is likely to be in action at the Lankan T-20 carnival.
Ironically, there are still no Indian names on the board as the Board of Control for Cricket in India is still studying Sri Lanka’s request about the releasing of its players.
Sri Lanka, currently ranked at number 3 in the ICC T20, holds the edge over Pakistan in the two match T20 series starting at Sooriyawewa, on Friday, June 1. The two teams will play the second match of the series on June 3, at the same venue. Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be keen to get some good match practice ahead of the ICC World T20 tournament which runs from 18 September to 7 October in Sri Lanka, later this year. Sri Lanka will need to win the series, 2-0 if it is to move up from third place in the Reliance ICC T20 Championship table.
The mind games have begun ahead of Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka, with Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal announcing that he and teammate Abdul Rehman plan on tormenting Sri Lankan batsmen.
"My entire focus is on my bowling and as I have already been declared the best bowler in the last Test series against England, I will try my level best once again to excel on the tour of Sri Lanka," Ajmal said, speaking to reporters in Pakistan.
"If pitches in Sri Lanka suit spinners, I, along with Abdul Rehman, will do our best to give [a] tough time to Sri Lankan batsmen."
The Indian Premier League (IPL) helps cricketers "leave their worries behind" and play stress-free cricket, according to Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Dilshan, who is currently in India playing in the fifth edition of the IPL, said the revenue earned from the IPL has helped players focus on cricket and not stress over their finances.
"Ever since the IPL started, the financial factor for cricketers has really worked.
South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs has confirmed that he will be taking part in the upcoming Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) T20 tournament.
Although Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) previously announced the involvement of foreign stars in the SLPL, no names have yet been released by them. Gibbs is the first international player to confirm participation in the tournament.
"From here [IPL] to the UK T20 for Durham then to the Sri Lanka Premier League,"
Pakistan are hoping to build on their impressive record over the past year when they take the field during the full tour of Sri Lanka starting later this week.
"The task here is to win, but the longer goal is to take Pakistan high up in the rankings in all three formats," Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said at the series launch in Colombo on Monday night.
"It's a simple statement, but it requires a lot of work," he said ahead of the seven-week tour which comprises three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games.
The Pakistan cricket team called off their practise session today after enduring a tiresome five-hour long drive to Hambantota, where they will play the first match of their tour of Sri Lanka.
Hambantota district is located approximately 170 miles from Sri Lanka's economic hub Colombo.
With traffic congestion along the way, the journey to the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cricket Stadium can take upto seven hours at times.
Pakistan are in Sri Lanka for a two-match T20 series, five-match ODI series and a three-Test series.The tour gets underway with the hosts taking on Pakistan in the first T20 on June 1 in Hambantota.
By S.R. Pathiravithana
