2012 World T20 final would have no bearing in semi-final: SL coach

Mirpur: Sri Lanka cricket team`s English coach Paul Farbrace feels that West Indies` triumph in the last edition of the ICC World T20 will have no bearing when the two teams lock horns in the semi-final of the current edition at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium on Thursday.

"The simple fact is that it was then 2012 and this is now. The last game will have no bearing whatsoever. Twenty20 is about whoever turns up on that particular day. Form goes out of the window. It`s about making sure we`re ready and focused. What happened two years ago won`t even be talked about, I can assure you," Farbrace told the media on the eve of the match. With Rangana Herath`s stunning performance against New Zealand, it will a selection headache as regular captain Dinesh Chandimal will be coming in after serving one-match suspension due to slow over-rate during England game. Now Sri Lanka will have to see as to what they do with Ajantha Mendis and Herath, who is in tremendous form. "It`s a lovely headache to have. We know we`ve got some high quality spin bowlers in our team and it gives us a really good headache. There`s been plenty of discussion and there`ll be plenty more before the coin goes up on Thursday night." However, the coach did not reveal any gameplans ahead of his team`s semi-final match. "I`m not going to share our plans with you other than to say that the win against New Zealand was a massive boost for us. We felt that we were 15-20 runs short and our bowling performance showed the fight and the spirit in the team. New Zealand were a good side and we managed to beat them pretty convincingly," Farbrace said. But Farbrace was all praise for the West Indies team in the manner they beat Sri Lanka. "We watched the game last night and the West Indies are an excellent side playing good cricket. Our preparation for Thursday needs to be as good as it possibly can be. This is where we want to be. You want to be involved in the big games. This is what players play for ? semifinals and finals of World Cup competitions," Farbrace said. When asked if Herath would find the Sher-e-Bangla track more suitable for his kind of bowling, the former Kent glovesman joked, "I'm not sure Rangana will ever find a wicket more helpful than the one he found in Chittagong the other evening." Farbrace feels that more than the slow nature of the track, it is about bowling the deliveries at the right pace which makes a lot of difference. "We knew while coming over here that the tracks will offer turn. But again, it's about making sure, you get the right pace. It's not about getting the ball to the other end. You've got to bowl the right pace and that's what Herath did so well against New Zealand in Chittagong. He bowled at a fantastic pace and that's the key. It will spin and we've got good enough spinners in our side to bowl well on it." Skipper Chandimal's place came up for scrutiny but the coach firmly backed him. "Chandi (nickname) is a very exciting young cricketer. He's someone with a lot of good cricket thoughts. He's got an excellent cricket brain and he was chosen because of those factors. He's a young cricketer finding his way. He's had a tough time and people have been very quick to point out his tough times," Farbrace said. "Equally, in the short space of time that I've been here, he got a hundred in his last Test match, he played brilliantly in the last ODI here in Bangladesh. All cricketers go through dips in form and it's important he learns very quickly from this tough period," he stated. Sri Lanka's jinx in the finals of various tournaments have been well documented (they have lost 2007, 2011 50-over finals, 2009, 2012, T20 finals) but the coach wants to look at the positives. "You can look at from that angle but you could also say they've done really well in most competitions and got to the finals. That's where teams want to be. We had a big win here in the Asia Cup a few weeks ago. We beat India and we beat Pakistan twice. That was a big hurdle for the team. So not only to win it but win it pretty convincingly gave the team a lot of confidence," Farbrace said.