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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tuffey" data-source="post: 460637" data-attributes="member: 2129">Experience vital for JayawardeneAFPSri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is backing his side's greater experience to see them through their ICC CWC semi-final against New Zealand.The teams meet Tuesday here at Sabina Park in the opening last four match of the first ICC CWC ever staged in the Caribbean, the victors facing the winners of Wednesday's match between champions Australia and South Africa in Saturday's final in Barbados.Sri Lanka are set to field a team featuring three survivors from the side that won the 1996 ICC CWC - dynamic opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya, left-arm quick Chaminda Vaas and exceptional off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan."Our guys have played more games, big games, tougher games - so maybe our extra experience will help," said Jayawardene here on Monday."That's probably one advantage we can have over the New Zealanders."Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming has repeatedly spoken about trying to target Sri Lanka's perceived lack of batting depth.But Jayawardene said this was not an issue as far as he was concerned, highlighting the different make-up of his team."New Zealand have a lot of depth in their batting - everybody knows that," said the captain."But we have a different combination. We have genuine bowlers in our line-up; we rely on our top seven to score the runs. The top seven are there to bat the 50 overs. That's how we go about our game."Jayawardene added that unorthodox fast bowler Lasith Malinga, whose slinsghot action unsettled the Black Caps in New Zealand earlier this year, was fit after missing the last three games with ankle ligament damage.And he added that Malinga's fellow quick Dilhara Fernando, also troubled by a recent ankle problem, was fit to play as well."Lasith is 100 per cent available for selection. So is Dilhara."Sri Lanka controversially rested Vaas and Muralitharan from their penultimate Super Eights match, a seven-wicket defeat by Australia last Monday in Grenada.But top-order batsman Jayawardene remained unrepentant about the move."The whole point of resting those guys was to keep them fresh. They are not getting any younger - and in a big tournament like this you need to keep your best players fresh."That was part of the plan, and we think it has worked. We had to be careful with Malinga, because he was injured. This is the big one for us now, and everybody is fit."New Zealand are set to have Shane Bond back in their side after the fast bowler missed Friday's 215-run thrashing by Australia through illness.And Jayawardene said Bond and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori were the key figures in New Zealand's attack."Shane is their strike bowler up front, and then they have Daniel as well - so those are the people we must concentrate on."If Shane is on the mark we will have to respect him; if not we could take him on."</blockquote>

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