lusty Kulasekara and clinical Sangakkara keeps Lankan hopes alive.

It is customary to see players, mostly Captains addressing the Press after the match ~ when David Warner took the mike, it was a different scenario.

For those following Champions Trophy in England, the 50 overs format offers much more interest and thrill than the IPL glam…………… yesterday at Kennington Oval, England methodically played to set a target of 294 from 50 overs which in the end was consumed with ease with some lusty hitting by the not so regular player who has made only 3 fifties in 135 appearances ~ it was Kulasekara Mudiyanselage Dinesh Nuwan Kulasekara.  His 110 partnership in 12 overs with Sangakkara who made an unbeaten ton ensured that the Lankan hopes are still alive………

There are only 8 Nations – 4 matches remain – 1 totally insignificant and that is to feature India and Pakistan.  In Group B, India has 4 points from 2; Pak has nil from 2 ~ the match result will be only of statistical relevance.  The other match between SA and WI will determine who will march to Semis from this Group.  In Group A Newzealand lead with 3; England and Lanka have 2  each while Australia has a solitary point………... England's defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka leaves Group A intriguingly poised: the final round of games has become a quarter-final in all but name. England are scheduled to play New Zealand in Cardiff and, if it rains throughout, net run-rate will decide their fate. It will be of little consolation to England that this Champions Trophy is proving as entertaining as it is unpredictable. It was a game that exposed England's limitations. They are a good side, certainly, but confronted by flair and experience on the truest of surfaces, they lack the ability to damage opposition. England batted fluently throughout but Sangakkara who failed in IPL displayed his class.    

                                

David Warner has publicly apologised for his bar-room altercation with Joe Root in Birmingham last week, which has seen him suspended until the first Ashes Test. In front of a phalanx of TV cameras and photographers, Warner faced the press for the first time since the incident, and he accepted that he had to be "a bit smarter with what I do on and off the field". Australia captain Michael Clarke termed Warner's behaviour "unacceptable" and would not be drawn into endorsing Warner's leadership qualities as he had done in the past.  For those not following the game outside the arena, David Warner has been stood down from Australia's Champions Trophy match against New Zealand after what has been called "an unprovoked physical attack" on Joe Root in a Birmingham bar in the early hours of Sunday morning.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

14^th June 2013.