MATCH: Leicestershire Foxes v Ruhuna Rhinos
DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
TIME: 1600 hours IST (1030 hours GMT)
VENUE: Uppal in Hyderabad
Leicestershire and Ruhuna will play their second game of the Champions League T20 qualifiers at Uppal in Hyderabad. This is the fifth match of the qualifiers and the third and the last game in their pool.
Previous Result:
Leicestershire (4/6 at
BetFred) had had a forgettable first game of the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago. First, their bowling was put to sword by the Trinidad and Tobago openers on a track that was clearly bowling-friendly. Then, their top-order fell apart in the chase of 169 as they lost five wickets for next to nothing.
Ruhuna (7/5 at
Unibet) ran Trinidad and Tobago close but allowed the Caribbean side to get to the target in the end. They had lost their top three for 26, recovered to get to 93 in just over 14 overs before collapsing yet again – doling away four wickets in the last over of the game. Then, they had Trinidad and Tobago by the scruff of their neck at 81 for five but Sherwin Ganga brushed their hopes aside.
Side-effect:
The team losing this game is definitely out of the tournament with two losses from as many games. However, the side winning the match will depend on the result of the last game of the qualifiers after this encounter to know whether they have gone through. Given Leicestershire’s heavy, 51-run defeat to Trinidad and Tobago, their chances are gravely dim even if they win this encounter.
Team News:
Ruhuna had made an interesting choice in their first game by opening their bowling with two spinners in Janaka Gunaratne and Sanath Jayasuriya. However, that meant that towards the end of the innings, they weren’t left with too many overs of spin and that is where they will need to change things around. It may not be such a bad idea to get in someone like Shihan Kamileen or an Alankara Asanka Silva, both of whom can give them an option with slow bowling.
The top-order failed for Ruhuna in the first game but one senses that the side will look to go in with a similar batting line-up. Where the side may want to change their tactics is to go after the bowling upfront in a similar manner to Trinidad and Tobago. They certainly have Sanath Jayasuriya to do it, but it may not be a bad idea to promote Gunaratne up the order.
Leicestershire would be wondering what hit them. The reason for their defeat, to me, cannot be anything but their bowling. The Uppal pitch is anything but a 150-plus track and to concede 168 on it was nothing short of criminal. Too much room was allowed to the batsmen and the virtues of bowling straight and up to the bat were lost on the Leicestershire bowlers.
The batting order also needs to be looked at. They may have kept such an order back home while winning the Friends Life T20 tournament but in such conditions, it makes sense to push your best batsmen up the order. Abdul Razzaq and James Taylor need to bat higher than they are so far if the Leicestershire Foxes need to have a chance of winning this one.
Who is hot?
Sanath Jayasuriya, despite his age, bowled one of the better spells for a spinner with the new ball. It would augur well for him to take the new ball yet again, but more importantly, the side will hope that the confidence from the bowling will rub off on his batting as well.
Leicestershire will hope for captain Matthew Hoggard to inspire his team into doing much better than before. What the fans would also hope for is some tactical changes to the batting order and bowling areas.
Prediction:
Ruhuna should be favourites in conditions which are starkly similar to those back in Sri Lanka.
