Jayawardene thanks Jayasuriya

BRIDGETOWN – Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to opener Sanath Jayasuriya for helping him return to his big-scoring ways in the World Cup victory over the West Indies.

After failing in the last two matches, Jayawardene scored a solid 82 in a Super Eight match against the West Indies here on Sunday and shared a 183-run stand with Jayasuriya. “Obviously, Sanath took a lot of pressure off me.He gave me the freedom to play risk-free, straight as much as possible and just occupy the crease,” said the Sri Lankan skipper.Jayasuriya smashed 115 runs off 101 balls for his 25th century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 303 for five before a capacity crowd at the National Stadium hoping for a home victory.The West Indies crumbled under the pressure as they were bowled out for 190 in their third straight Super Eight defeat, and now face elimination.AP”Obviously, Sanath took a lot of pressure off me.He gave me the freedom to play risk-free, straight as much as possible and just occupy the crease,” said the Sri Lankan skipper.Jayasuriya smashed 115 runs off 101 balls for his 25th century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 303 for five before a capacity crowd at the National Stadium hoping for a home victory.The West Indies crumbled under the pressure as they were bowled out for 190 in their third straight Super Eight defeat, and now face elimination.AP