MUTTIAH MURALIDARAN: Last year’s success against England will count for nothing on Sunday

Left-armer Herath will provide the control and if more spin is required then Dilshan will be there to provide it.

It may appear to the casual observer to be a match of little importance in the greater scheme of things as, all things being equal, both sides would expect to reach the quarter-finals whatever happens on Sunday.

But I believe victory is important because the higher a side can finish in Pool A, the more likely they are to avoid defending champions India, who look set in my eyes to head Pool B.

I think Sri Lanka would fancy their chances against most sides in a one-off quarter-final but India, with their batting power, look an increasingly formidable outfit at the moment and appear a side that are best avoided if at all possible.

MS Dhoni’s line-up are showing once again, as they did against us in 2011 and again in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, they have a liking for the big occasion and they appear completely different to the side that struggled in the Test series and one-day tri-series before this tournament.

A fourth-place finish in the pool may well mean a meeting with India and so victory on Sunday, which brings with it the prospect of third – or even second if Australia can be beaten in a week’s time – could be vital. And it is also achievable.

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