Mahela Jayawardene reckons that his side will not be under extra pressure during their quarter-final fixture against England here at Premadasa Stadium on Saturday
Mahela Jayawardene reckons that his side will not be under extra pressure during their quarter-final fixture against England here at Premadasa Stadium on Saturday. Mahela Jayawardene
Sri Lanka's captain during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, where they were beaten by Australia in the final, spoke to MiD DAY yesterday.
Excerpts: 
On Sri Lanka's World Cup performance thus far:
I think our intensity is picking up slowly, but surely. Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) getting some wickets against New Zealand augurs well for us. I think we can still improve our batting, try to bat longer and make sure we build partnerships. We pride ourselves on our fielding, and I can definitely see some signs of improvement there.
On pressure of playing a quarter-final at home:
I don't think there's any added pressure. We must try and feed off the energy from the vibrant crowds. We know that each and every individual in this country will be backing us. It is a great feeling to play in front of such amazing crowds. England will be a tough opponent though.
On Sri Lanka's progress since 2007 World Cup:
I think the addition of young all-rounders like Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera has been good for the side, and also the emergence of Tillakaratne Dilshan as an opener. It's difficult to compare the sides. In 2007, we had Sanath Jayasuriya firing on all cylinders.
On allegations by TV network ITN that he was 'guilty' of match-fixing:
It took me by surprise to be honest. The cricket board has written to the network for an explanation. I didn't want to get involved in the issue.
On whether he misses captaincy:
(Laughs) Not really. Kumar Sangakkara is doing a fantastic job. When I gave it up, I felt it was the right thing to do. I wanted to focus on improving myself as a player.
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