COLOMBO – Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene believes West Indies talisman Chris Gayle is already under pressure for tomorrow’s World Twenty20 final.
Following Friday’s semi-final win over Australia, Gayle predicted that the Windies would beat Sri Lanka in Sunday’s final, a statement Jayawardene described as a sign of early pressure.
“When somebody says something like that, is the pressure on us or on him? I don’t know how to react to that,” Jayawardene said.
“Probably the pressure is on him when he has said something like that.”
Gayle, the most feared batsman in the T20 format, will be at the centre of West Indies’ victory bid in the final at the Premadasa Stadium.
He has been the leading Windies batsman with 219 runs including three half-centuries, the last of which was an unbeaten 75 that in the semi-final against Australia on Friday.
But for all the danger he presents, Jayawardene said Gayle would not be their focus.
“That’s not the way we have gone about here. We never went after individual players, we have tried to control things the way we can control,” Jayawardene contended.
“He is just another player in a very good West Indies team. We must focus on the entire team.
“We need to have a game-plan for a team, not for individuals. Records and numbers are all there, but what’s important is how you perform and react to situations.” (CMC)
