England and Sri Lanka turn the form book upside down

Two weeks ago, England were in the doldrums ranked only seventh out of the nine Test nations after crashing to defeat in the Ashes series against Australia.

But after winning four matches out of five in a one-day series against Australia and Sri Lanka, England captain Alec Stewart is suddenly saying it is possible to win this year's World Cup.

Now it is the turn of Sri Lankan counterpart Arjuna Ranatunga, one of the most feared batsmen in the world after his side won the World Cup three years ago, to be on the defensive.

England hammered Ranatunga's side by seven wickets in Melbourne on Tuesday to jump four points clear at the top of three nation standings. Wins against Sri Lanka in Adelaide on Saturday and Australia on Tuesday would see them through to the final.

England are suddenly riding high again. Stewart said the team want the tournament to be an integral part of the build-up to the World Cup they are hosting in May and June -- a tournament they have never won.

``When you win, that breeds confidence and we've had four very good wins. Obviously - five more games to go before the finals - we're just going to try and stay on a winning streak,'' he said.

``We're playing some good cricket, four out of five stands us in good stead for later on in the series.

``I think all countries would say the ultimate goal is to win the World Cup. First things first, we're trying to win this series and with that, build towards winning the World Cup.''

The skipper praised paceman Darren Gough, who took 4-28 on Tuesday, and batsman Graeme Hick, who made 108 against Australia on Sunday and an unbeaten 66 Tuesday.

``The new ball bowlers bowled exceptionally well, Darren Gough deserved his four wickets and when we came to bat everything clicked and obviously Graeme Hick led the way,'' Stewart said.

``He (Hick) is a top class player and he has been for a number of years and his last two innings have been exceptional.''

Australia's one-day skipper Steve Waugh reckons the Sri Lankans, who won the World Cup with their carefree batting, have lost faith in themselves.

Sri Lanka have lost their last eight game, including three in the three-nation series. Defeat against Australia in Hobart on Thursday would mean they are virtually certain to miss the finals.

``They have lost eight in a row now, so they are going to start doubting themselves a bit,'' Waugh said.

Ranatunga is bravely predicting that Sri Lanka will fight back.

``People can talk when a side is losing,'' he said. ``When we start winning, people will talk in a different way.

``We are down at the moment, but I think the boys will bounce back.''

However Ranatunga, admitted his players were ``a little down'' following their eight losses which also include four games in Sharjah in November and the mini-World Cup in Bangladesh.

He believes the country's fundamental problem is finding the right combination to replace the World Cup-winning side. The series in Australia was ``a sort of trial period''.

Sri Lankan woes have deepened through the thigh muscle injury to influential batsman Aravinda de Silva and the controversy surrounding the action of spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sri Lanka will have to replace bowler Nuwan Zoysa on Thursday, who broke down Tuesday and remained in Melbourne for a back scan.

Ranantunga was philosophical about de Silva, who may return to the side in Adelaide at the weekend. But he was bitter about the way Muralitharan has been heckled.

``I'm disappointed with the public. Really, really disappointed,'' he said. ``Something is wrong somewhere. It isn't the way to treat a sportsman.''

Australia's position is less desperate, sitting in second place with two wins from four games and Waugh is keen to show their loss to England last Sunday was merely an off-day.

Australia are likely to go into the match with two allrounders -Brendon Julian and Shane Lee, who will replace the injured medium pacer Damien Fleming.

Waugh's only problem is to make sure there won't be a repeat of the sloppy fielding and bowling that cost Australia its last match.

``It's hard work,'' he said. ``You're on planes every second day, at airports, and you are travelling and training and playing all the time.

``It's pretty much non-stop, so it's a bit much to expect any side to play at its peak every game.''