Sri Lanka use every trick in the book
Switching captains ahead of Super Eights match against England helps hosts avoid penalty for failing to meet required over rate
Hosts Sri Lanka have used a bagful of tricks to outwit rivals on their way to the World Twenty20 semi-finals - even changing captains for a match to further their cause.
Eyebrows were raised when Kumar Sangakkara, and not regular captain Mahela Jayawardene, walked out to contest the toss for Monday's last Super Eights match, against England, in Pallekele.
Both Jayawardene and designated vice-captain Angelo Mathews were part of the playing 11, but the team sheet had senior pro Sangakkara as skipper in an extraordinary turn of events.
Jayawardene explained later that the change was made to prevent him and Mathews from missing out on the semi-finals since both of them were already serving a one-match notice for slow over-rates.
"The intention was not wrong," Jayawardene said after the 19-run win over England that knocked the defending champions out of the tournament and lifted the hosts and the West Indies into the semi-finals from group one.
"I had a warning for an over-rate issue, and if it happened again I could have missed the next match. It's a tough system and it's tough to bowl 20 overs in one hour and 20 minutes in a tournament like this.
"We try our best, but the penalties are harsh. We don't want to miss the big games, so we did it with the right intentions.
