Sri Lanka look to past winners for inspiration

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Mar 12 (Reuters) Sri Lanka will draw inspiration from the five past winners in their ranks in their bid for World Cup glory, skipper Mahela Jayawardene said.

The 1996 champions are regarded as early favourites due to their all-round strength on pitches which many feel will play slow like those in the Indian sub-continent.

Jayawardene said such predictions proved wrong in the ICC Champions Trophy in India late last year, where champions Australia, finalists West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa entered the last four.

''Sub-continent or not, it is about peaking at the right time,'' he told a news conference yesterday. ''We have got a very good all-round side that could be our strength.'' Sri Lanka are in Group B with India, Bermuda and Bangladesh.

They play their first game against Bermuda in Trinidad on Thursday.

YOUNGER PLAYERS Jayawardene said the younger players were benefiting from the experience of Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atappattu, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, all members of the victorious 1996 squad.

Coach Tom Moody was in the triumphant Australian side in England three years later.

''The guys, when we had our meetings, were explaining to us about what the feeling was like,'' he said. ''They want to win another World Cup.

''It is amazing when they talk about it, the pride in it,'' he said. ''For every cricketer this is the ultimate goal.

''Tom has been part of the successful side in 1999 and he has brought a lot of ideas.'' Jayawardene felt the absence of day-night games made planning much easier for teams.

However, he was not too sure about the pitches.

''Most wickets have been relaid and none (of the teams) have had the opportunity to play on them.

''It can be a surprise,'' he said. ''The first game, the ball could be flying.'' REUTERS DH BST1321