Wayamba XI wiser by experience

Taking CL T20 across the world creates new fan following: Mahela

Led by international Jehan Mubarak, the Wayamba squad has at least 11 players with international experience, notable among them national team vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene, and the spin duo of Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath.

Jayawardene gave inter-club T20 cricket the thumbs-up at a function on Tuesday night to announce Musli Power X-tra as the lead partners of the Sri Lankan champions. “In my opinion, the concept of franchises and clubs, like what happens in football, has a lot of potential. We have seen with in the IPL, in England and in Australia, that’s the way forward for T20 cricket. Just having the T20 World Cup for national teams will see 50-over cricket and Test matches taking a different path.

“Last year was a bit of an eye-opener for us, participating in the Champions League. Though we had a lot of Sri Lankan players, we also had quite a few who hadn't played against international teams. We were a bit unfortunate to be knocked out on net run-rate. But we have realised where we went wrong. Most of our guys have much more experience playing T20 cricket, playing it domestically as well.”

Jayawardene added that taking the Champions League across the cricketing world was the way forward. “You create a new audience,” he observed. “We saw during the second IPL when we played in South Africa that fan base there surprised everyone. Taking it across the cricket-playing countries would create a different brand and a new fan following as well.”

Wayamba are clubbed with South Africa's Warriors, Chennai Super Kings, Victoria Busrangers and New Zealand's Central Districts, with the top two making the semis. “Obviously, the IPL teams are the strongest on paper, but having said, they weren’t the ones that made the final last year,” skipper Mubarak noted. “At Wayamba, we are much more prepared than we were last year, we have had the experience of playing in a previous Champions League.

“Our preparation has been quite extensive. We have been practising for at least three months, we are hoping to go a couple of days ahead, have a couple of practise games, get used to the conditions. We have the talent and experience among us to deliver the goods.”

It was at Wayamba that Jayawardene stared to open the batting. “I discovered the opportunity I had in T20 cricket being an opener,” the classy right-hander said. Mubarak added that Jayawardene had largely been responsible for their fantastic domestic run, when they finished undefeated.

“We won most of our games quite easily, a lot of that due to Mahela and Jeevantha (Kulatunge) who gave us brilliant opening stands right throughout the tournament,” he said. “But that apart, there's the bowling and the fielding, too. It was the combined team effort and the unity with which we played that saw us through.”