Srilanka Vs West Indies T20 Match

Sri Lanka's campaign in the World Twenty20 will be the last to get underway when they play Australia in Nottingham on Monday. Sri Lanka's concern during the build-up to the tournament has been their batting. They chased 151 in a warm-up match against Bangladesh with only two balls to spare and were reduced to 44 for 7 by South Africa.

Their attempt to get some outdoor practice at the Lady Bay facility in Nottingham was foiled by the wet weather, forcing them to head for the indoor nets at Loughborough on the eve of the Australia game. Should the rain wash out tomorrow's contest, the teams will share a point, and Sri Lanka could qualify even if they lose to West Indies, as long as it's by a margin smaller than Australia's defeat. Given the uncertainty about the weather, Sangakkara said the key was to be prepared to play at any time in any conditions.

"The rain has played a big part," he said. "We can worry about the rain but any team has to be prepared to play and look forward to playing. As soon as the rain stops, the conditions in England enable the grounds to get up and running very quickly. It's going to be the mental factor, coming to terms with just waiting and being ready to play at anytime."

Despite the chilly and overcast conditions, the early trends have been consistent with those of domestic Twenty20 cricket in England, with the slower bowlers playing a significant role. India deployed the two-spinner strategy with success against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge - the debutant Pragyan Ojha took four wickets - and Sri Lanka will have to make a decision whether to play Ajantha Mendis along with Muttiah Muralitharan.

Mendis has the x-factor because, apart from David Hussey, who was Mendis' team-mate during the IPL, none of the other Australian batsmen would have first-hand experience of playing the spinner. They would have had to rely on video-analysis to formulate plans on how to play him.

Mendis, however, was in indifferent form during his last ODI assignment, against India at home, and the IPL, during which he played only four games and took three wickets at 39 apiece. "Ajantha has just got to be a bit more creative in his thinking, more creative in his field placements, and just change the angles of the deliveries he bowls," Sangakkara said. "The novelty is always going to fade the longer you play cricket. He's going to have to change and change very quickly. I'm sure he's going to become a stronger and better bowler for the fact that batsmen are starting to read him better."

Sangakkara played down the motivation Sri Lanka would draw from the opportunity to end Australia's campaign, saying that the team was focused on winning every game, irrespective of the opposition. But who wouldn't want to be remembered for knocking out the Australians, especially in his first game as captain.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he was doubtful for Wednesday's final World Twenty20 group match against Sri Lanka after injuring his right knee. Destructive opener Gayle struck 88 from just 50 balls against Australia on Saturday and his innings, which included six sixes, inspired the West Indies to a seven-wicket victory.

West Indies can afford to rest Gayle against Sri Lanka as they have qualified for the next stage of the tournament. "I'm carrying a bit of an injury and I don't know if I might be playing yet so it's a situation that we need to look at," Gayle told reporters on Tuesday. "I picked it up in the last game from a ball that (Mitchell) Johnson bowled and I'm still struggling a bit with it.

"When I was batting I didn't feel it but the next day I couldn't walk properly and I'm just trying to get back in my stride now. The knee is swollen a lot and bruised, so let's see what happens."

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya , Tillakaratne Dilshan , Kumar Sangakkara (c) (w) , Mahela Jayawardene , Chamara Silva , Angelo Mathews , Jehan Mubarak , Isuru Udana , Muttiah Muralitharan , Ajantha Mendis , Lasith Malinga , Thilan Thushara (sub) , Farveez Maharoof (sub) , Nuwan Kulasekara (sub) , Indika de Saram (sub)

West Indies: Chris Gayle (c) , Andre Fletcher , Xavier Marshall , Shivnarine Chanderpaul , Ramnaresh Sarwan , Dwayne Bravo , Keiron Pollard , Denesh Ramdin (w) , Jerome Taylor , Fidel Edwards , Sulieman Benn , Darren Sammy (sub) , Lionel Baker (sub) , David Bernard (sub) , Lendl Simmons (sub)