Not long after Brett Lee declined to divulge the strategy with which he hopes to stop Sanath Jayasuriya in today's first final at the Adelaide Oval lest the Sri Lankan was listening in, captain Ricky Ponting blew the lid on Australia's plan to curtail the powerful opener - unleash the short stuff.
Not for the first time in their dealings with Sri Lanka's most dangerous batsman, the Australians are targeting a perceived weakness against short-pitched bowling in Jayasuriya's technique. The reaction of Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody, though, suggested the tourists had heard it all before.
"No surprise, it's been the same all series," said Moody, seeming entirely non-plussed. In fact, the Australians have long believed the best way to restrict the 36-year-old with the deadly eye is to bowl short and at his body, a strategy they adopted during the 2003 World Cup. Without Glenn McGrath in the attack at the SCG last month, Jayasuriya got away and smashed 114 off 96 balls.
The enforced absence of McGrath has left Lee to lead a pace attack comprising Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark and supersub James Hopes. The latter went for 65 in six overs when Jayasuriya was on song at the SCG, but the bowlers have since regrouped and, according to Ponting, will concentrate on cramping him for room.
"You can't afford to give him width, [Kumar] Sangakkara's a bit the same. They're very strong square of the wicket, particularly on the off side so with Adelaide Oval the way it is, the long boundaries straight, you've got to be making players hit you down the ground," Ponting said. "So you've got to look to bowl pretty straight, probably use some changes of pace through the course of the innings, and Sanath can expect his fair share of short stuff tomorrow as well." He said the last bit with a grin.
Moody, who acknowledged Jayasuriya was as important to Sri Lanka's fortunes as Adam Gilchrist was to Australia's, said it remained to be seen if the opening batsman who helped transform one-day cricket in the mid-1990s with his swashbuckling beginnings would be inconvenienced by the Australian tactic.
"Time will tell. I know that teams in the past have targeted that area with Sanath and there's times he may have felt uncomfortable and there's times he's got runs very quickly. So if that's the plan they're going to go with, with short boundaries square of the wicket, we'll see who comes off best," Moody said.
"I'd like to think we've got many key [players]. He's obviously a very destructive batsman when he's going. Australia have had a taste of that in Sydney and he's in good form so I'm sure his input along with 10 other players, maybe 11 if we win the toss, is going to be vital."
- CHLOE SALTAU