All eyes on the Aussie pace trio !

"Bowlers win matches" ! Look what happened yesterday as Roach, Benn and Sammy shot out BD for a paltry 58.

In today's great match, all eyes will be riveted on the powerful Aussie pace trio of Lee, Tait and Johnson. It is said that Tait clocked 160 kph in a match Down Under and Lee and Johnson bowl at 150 kph !

Scores of 300 plus are common nowadays, as all are batting pitches. Ian Bell used the sweep shot to counter the Indian spinners. All batsmen will try to do the same. One of the best strategies imprinted on my mind is that of Gooch sweeping the Indian spinners in the 1987 semi final. He swept England to victory !

Similarly we hope the Sri Lankan batsmen will try new methods to negotiate balls at over 150 kph ! Mahela is already hungry for runs. So is Sanga and other SL batsmen.

Angelo Mathews and Thissara Pereira are two allrounders who can change the game. Watch out for them.

IF the pitch aids the quickies, then Aussies will have to reckon with another actor, the formidable "Slinga" Malinga !

Malinga may be maligned by controversies. Some say he is a chucker, like Murali. But the truth is that he is effective, as he has two hatricks in WCs.

This is also a glorious opportunity for Aussie batting to assert itself. Watson, Ponting and others can use it as a golden opportunity.

Australia start as favourites and the Castrol Predictor gives 53% to Australia and the rest 47% to Sri Lanka.

IF we go by stats, the Kangaroos have won seven and SL three. But then SL beat Australia 2-1 Down Under, in their own backyard ! So the Lankans cannot be taken lightly. In the 8 WC matches, SL could win only two. On the contrary, Australia has an impeccable record of 30 consecutive victories !

M Amarnath opines that this is one of the greatest of all battles, as two top teams vie for supremacy.

All teams expect the Goliath ( AUS ) to fall in this WC. The reasons are obvious - the loss of Gilchrist and Hayden, Ponting not in the 2003 or 2007 form, the subcontinental pitches and s c conditions ( you have to bat under 40 degrees temp, a disconcerting factor for batsmen not accustomed to it )!

Many will be happy if this Goliath falls. The edge which AUS had is gone. But Aussies still maintain that they are the best team in the world and their formidable pace will bring home the bacon !

Sanga, the SL skipper, is banking on the 4 Ms - Murali, Mendis, Malinga and Mathews to fire. He may play three spinners, Murali, Mendis and Herath. "That's the possibility that we're exploring." said the famous captain.

"I think that's the best way to play Australia. We've got three main spinners and part-time spinners, so we have to make a decision."

"When you have guys like Malinga, Mathews and Murali you expect them to deliver. You look up to your star bowlers and then the responsibility falls onto the support bowlers to do their bit.

"We’ll try and focus how we share that responsibility and give freedom to guys like Lasith to express themselves," said Sanga about Slinga Malinga.

"The real strength of Australia is their pace attack. They've got four
quality pace bowlers. They'll come at us very hard, right from ball one."

"The bottom line is that they have been a very good side. But when we went
to Australia on the last tour, the key change we made was in our attitude."

"The way we looked at beating the Aussies and enjoying the challenges and
making sure that every member of the squad was up to those challenges."