Date-stamped : 22 Oct95 - 06:27 Champions' Trophy, Final, Sri Lanka v West Indies. Sharjah CA Stadium, 20th October 1995. ====> Prematch, 19 Oct 95 SRI LANKA FAVOURITES TO WIN CHAMPIONS TROPHY - Bandula Molligoda Sri Lanka are favourites to win the US$ 30,000 prize money and the trophy in the Singer Champion Trophy triangular cricket tour- nament final against West Indies at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. The defending champions hopes of making a match of it rests on their prolific run-getter Brian Lara who hit a fluent 169 runs in 129 Balls with 15 fours and 4 sixes in the previous game. If Sri Lanka can get him early then their chances of winning their first major one day tournament outside their home soil is bright. Both teams were seen at the nets yesterday morning. Sri Lanka are likely to run up a formidable total against West Indies at- tack with their strong batting line up. Batsmen such as Mahanama, Ranatunga, Tilakeratne, Gurusingha and Hathurusinghe are in good nick. They have an effective off cutter and a spinner in Kumar Dharmasena and Sanath Jayasuriya. For West Indies out of their four seniors, skipper Richie Richardson and Phil Simmons are not in good form. But Brian Lara came to form at the right time against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.. West Indies batting revoles around Campbell, Williams, Lara, Richardson and Chanderpaul. Sri Lanka and West Indies have two wins each in the tournament, but on form the Sri Lanka cricketers are favourites. Sri Lanka will field the same team that played against West Indies and Pakistan on Monday and Tuesday. The Sri Lanka team ; Roshan Mahanama, Sanath Jayasuriya, Asanka Gurusingha, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunge (Cap), Hashan Tillakaratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana (stumper) Chandika Hathurusinghe, Kumar Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralidharan and Promodaya Wickramasinghe and Ruwan Kal- page (12th man) Sri Lanka Manager Duleep Mendis said. The team is full of con- fidence and all the players are fit. We are waiting for the fi- nals. Our boys are in good nick. Our batsmen batted well in the last two outings". Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga told the "Daily News" we are going to put out a hundred percent effort tomorrow and go all out to win the trophy. We don`t want to be tagged favourites. We prefer to play as underdogs` then we can do better", he said. Richchie Richardson the West Indies skipper said: We are con- fident and looking for a good match. We have not finalised our final team. We are not depending on any particular player (Brian Lara). We depend on all 11 players. We lost to Sri Lanka by six runs in the first outing and beat them in the second match by 4 runs. So we are looking for a close match tomorrow,`` he said. West Indies team coach Andy Roberts, said: We are going to win the trophy. If we win the toss we will bat. Sri Lanka have proved that they have a very strong batting line up. They are capable of upsetting. So far they are the best team. We are not depending on a particular player,`` he said. The Sri Lankan cricketers came in for high praise from the UAE media here. Sunil Gavaskar veteran Indian cricketer who writes to the `Khaleej Times` said: ``This new determined Sri Lankan team is worth going miles to see and they are worth every penny you pay to watch them. Tillekeratne`s century was as good as anyone could hope to see and although Sri Lanka lost the match, they have won countless ad- mirers for the quality of their cricket and more so, for the way they never gave up. Menon through his `Stump Vision` column in the `Gulf News` wrote: ``Whether they are title favourites or not (Richard Hadlee for one thinks they are) Sri Lanka will certainly be the crowd favourites of the World Cup next years. ``They have made the four highest totals ever by a losing side in a one-day international. That is not a record that attracts ti- tles. But it is one which will ensure Sri Lanka always have a place in the hearts of spectators. It is cricket with passion.`` ``When two teams score over 300 runs each in a one dayer, and the final differences in just four runs, anyone can work out dozen of ways the runs could have been made. ``Incredibly Sri Lanka got that far without significant con- tribution from four of their top batsman Aravinda de Silva, Arju- na Ranatunga, Asanka Gurusinha and Sanath Jayasuriya.`` Thanks :: swanniar@uoguelph.ca (Sudas D Wanniarachchi) Source :: The Daily News (http://sri.lanka.net/lakehouse/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Match report, 20 Oct 95 Sri Lanka`s `trusted excellence` gives them the Singer trophy Sri Lanka waltzes to a 50-run win over the West Indies in the Singer Champion Trophy final in Sharjah. Bandula Molligoda re- porting from Sharjah. Playing like champions right from the start Sri Lanka waltzed to a 50-run win over the West Indies in the Singer Champion Trophy final before a large and appreciative crowd comprising mostly of wildly cheering Sri Lankans, here today. Chasing Sri Lanka`s 273 in 49.3 overs, the West Indies folded up for 223 in 47.3 overs. When the Lankans took the field, led brilliantly by Ranatunga they did the basics right and had all the Windies batsmen in all sorts of trouble. They lost wickets at regular intervals and finally conceded vic- tory to a team that was better in all departments of the game. It was Sri Lanka`s first trophy won abroad. When the West Indians began their chase openers Williams and Campbell began brightly putting on 28 runs until Upashantha com- ing into the team owing to an injury to Wickremasinghe struck two quick and felling blows getting rid of Williams and the much- feared Brian Lara. Williams went for five well taken by the reliable Muralitheran and then Upashantha held one back and Lara who was struggling for form played a bit too early and returned a catch to the bowler who gobbled the catch gleefully. It was a relieved Sri Lankan team that saw the back of Lara for 8. Lara`s was the wicket that the Lankan`s were craving for and with his dismissal the backbone of the Windies batting was broken. Richardson from whom much was expected failed to get into top gear and after a hesitant stay sacrificed his wicket being run out for 10. Simmons followed his captain and was out in similar fashion for 7. Campbell who seemed set for a big score was bowled by Muralith- eran off one that spun in viciously. At that stage the West Indies were on the studs at 88 for 5. Chanderpaul and Harper tried to put the Windies on right track. But after adding 53 runs, Chanderpaul had a sudden rush of blood and holed out to Muralitheran off Dharmasena at mid on for 27 with the score at 141. Further disaster struck the Windies when they lost two wickets, that of Harper for 31 and Browne for 8 at 157. When Windies skipper Richie Richardson won the toss and asked Sri Lanka in, it came as a surprise because manager Anderson Roberts had said that they would bat first. It was another bright and sunny day at the picturesque Sharjah stadium as the two captains walked out to toss. Sri Lanka were going well at one stage at 196 for 2 in the 39th over and looking for something over 300. But the West Indies who were without ace paceman Ian Bishop bounced back to grab eight Lankan wickets for 77 in the last 11 overs. Openers Mahanama and Jayasuriya gave the Sri Lankans a flying start putting on 111 for the first wicket in 27.2 overs. Both batsmen played some exquisite strokes and it was Jayasuriya who was the more entertaining slamming three sixes and five fours in his 57. Mahanama after his failures in Pakistan continued his good form in Sharjah with another good 66. He had scores of 101, 76 and 45 not out in his previous games. Aravinda de Silva who came into form in the previous game against Pakistan blasted a grand 50 off 35 balls with 2 sixes. Skipper Ranatunga 17, Kaluwitharne 15 and Gurusinha 12 went when looking good. Tillekeratne was also among the runs with 32. Otis Gibson with 4 for 35 in 5.5 overs was the best bowler for the West Indies. Cummins and Anthony had two wickets each for 50 and 47 respectively. A crowd of over 12 thousand watched the play. Source :: The Daily News (http://sri.lanka.net/lakehouse/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)