Sri Lanka ready to return to international cricket

Three months after surviving a deadly terror attack in Pakistan, the Sri Lankan team will return to international cricket at the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

Sri Lanka has not played as a team since March 3 - the day gunmen attacked the team convoy en route to a Test in Lahore, killing members of the security detail and injuring players and coaching staff.

"Everyone has recovered after what happened in Lahore," coach Trevor Bayliss said. "We are back to normal. It's good that they've been playing cricket. When we get into the bus, we'll be a bit nervous, I guess."

Sri Lanka will face a difficult task in the tournament, which starts Friday at Lord's, facing Australia and West Indies in the group stage. Only two teams progress to the Super 8 stage.

The top members of the squad did get experience in the Indian Premier League. Captain Kumar Sangakkara and former skipper Mahela Jayawardene (Kings XI Punjab), Sanath Jayasuriya and Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians), Tillekeratne Dilshan (Delhi Daredevils) and Muttiah Muralitharan (Chennai Super Kings) all played the bulk of their team's matches.

"It is the established players who will have to do the bulk of the work," says Sangakkara, who will be leading the national team for the first time since replacing Jayawardene as captain in March.

"We will have to first concentrate very much on the two group games against Australia and the West Indies, and then move forward."

The team boasts many experienced players, complemented with a few young players, such as uncapped all-rounder Isuru Udana, who took 16 wickets in the domestic Twenty20 competition.

"We have some plans and strategies as to how we should go against our opponents," Sangakkara said. "If we play to form, there is no reason why we should not get the better of our opponents."

Last year in Toronto, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the final of a Twenty20 event, involving also host Canada and Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka has dropped experienced bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando but Lasith Malinga is back in the squad, showing in the IPL that he has fully recovered from a knee injury.

Ideal situation for Malinga: Bayliss

Bayliss said the gradual buildup in workload will help Malinga's return.

"It's good to see him back in the side after a serious injury and, hopefully with a lot of cricket coming our way, he'll be fully fit," Bayliss said. "It's an ideal situation where he's now required to bowl just four overs. Maybe ODI cricket is the next best thing for him, and then probably test cricket."

Sri Lanka is the only team in the competition which will rely on a twin spin attack, with Muralidaran and the unorthodox Ajantha Mendis laying claim to being the two best tweakers in the world at present.

However, Sangakkara may not use both in the same team, with the option of using spinning all-rounders Dilshan and Jayasuriya and thus extending the batting order.

Sri Lanka opens against Australia on June 8 and will play the West Indies on June 10.