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Lanka among the favourites, says Ranatunga

Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga considers his side as one of the favourites to win the nine-nation Wills International Cup beginning in Dhaka this weekend.

"No one can predict anything for such a tough tournament, but India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are ahead as they are familiar with the environment and the wickets in the region,'' Ranatunga told reporters on his arrival in the Bangladesh capital.

The veteran left-hander, who led his side to victory in the 1996 World Cup, said his team was strong in all departments. " We are in an upbeat mood as we defeated England recently in a one-day series as well as in the one-off Test,'' Ranatunga said.

"The Lankan side has Aravinda D'Silva, one of the best batsmen in the world, and Sanath Jaysurya, very worthy of the team,'' he said.

"The weakness in the bowling department is over with the return of opening bowler Chaminda Vaas after overcoming his injury problem," Ranatunga added.

He also rated Zimbabwe and New Zealand as good one-day sides, especially Zimbabwe which recently beat India in a Test match.

Sri Lanka, given a bye, are slated to take on the winner of the curtain-raising New Zealand-Zimbabwe clash.

UNI