Music at cricket is no distraction – Mahela

The Island by Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene inspects the pitch during a practice session at R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday. Sri Lanka will take on England in the World Cup quarter-final next Saturday in Colombo.

(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

The International Cricket Council banned music instruments from the last World Cup in the Caribbean while the local authorities imposed restrictions ahead of the current tournament before easing those restrictions. However, Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene believes that music is part of the local cricket culture and that the players don’t mind the music.

Sri Lanka’s quarter-final against England at R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday is sold out and an electrifying atmosphere is expected.

"As a team, we love playing in front of our fans. That gives us great momentum going into a game," Jayawardene told journalists yesterday.

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