Character...

.. the one word to describe the Jaywardane - Jayasuriya partnership.

Let me explain.

Mahela Jaywardane has been, throughout this World Cup, the weak link in the Sri Lankan top order.

And an out of form captain is not necessarily the best person to lead a squad only because of the erosion of authority that entails.

At 35/2, it was imperative that Mahela do his bit to a) revive the Sri Lankan innings b) revive his batting form and c) take the confidence from his innings to his captaincy.

It was impressive the way he has gone about with this.

With his feet not moving and the timing no there, it could have been oh so tempting to charge the bowlers or try something cute to break the shackles. It takes a lot of mental strength and character to buckle down, do the hard yards and play the waiting game.

That he has done this, and is now finding his feet and getting some semblance of timing - kudos.

And through all of Mahela's travails with the bat it was Jayasuriya who led the way for Lanka.

Sanath's contribution is not limited to the big hits alone.

With a charged up West Indies and the score card reading 50/2 at the end of the 15th over, the pressure was squarely on Lanka. And with Mahela not getting the ball of the square, the onus and the pressure was on Sanath.

And he responded.. and how!!!! By taking the attack to the West Indians, he not only upped the run rate but transferred the pressure back on the West Indies.

And in doing so, he took the spot light off of Mahela and allowed him the time and space to get his bearings.

It was interesting too to see the running between the wickets betweeen these two. By running hard for his partner, Sanath a) allowed Mahela to get away from the firing line b) messed the West Indian lines because of the right/left combination c) kept the score board ticking 4) by running hard, he has put the pressure on the fielders and the captain to do something different.

By doing what he has done, and by pacing his innings in the manner he has,Sanath has shown a lot of cricketing savvy and character.

The score reads 140/2 as I type this and I cannot but admire the manner in which these two have gone about rebuilding the innings and played the pressure game so wonderfully well.