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Monday, 15 May 2017 00:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
AFP: Sri Lanka’s national cricket squad trained together for the first time in months at a high-altitude location to prepare for June’s Champions Trophy, the country’s board said Sunday.
The 15-man squad led by Angelo Mathews completed a week-long training session and will have three days of rest in Colombo before leaving for London on Thursday.
They went through strength and altitude training in the central hill region of Kandy, 500 metres (1,65 feet) above sea level, to prepare for conditions in England, Sri Lanka Cricket said.
“Over the past months many of us have not been able to play together consistently as a team due to injury or other factors,” Mathews said in a statement.
“So working together like this and learning to work with and around each others strengths is a great thing.”
Earlier this month, the cricket board secured the services of famed South African paceman Allan Donald an interim bowling coach.
Donald has declared that the Sri Lankan squad had the potential to win the next the Champions Trophy.
Sri Lanka head coach Graham Ford, a fellow South African, has been preparing the Sri Lankans for the 50-over tournament starting June 1.
Champions Trophy winner to get $ 2.2 m; runner-up $ 1.1 m
The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales from 1-18 June carries a total prize money of $ 4.5 million with the winner of the eight-team tournament taking home a cheque of $ 2.2 million, the International Cricket Council announced.
The eighth edition of the tournament sees an increase of $ 500,000 in prize money from the 2013 edition, which too was played at the three venues being used this time - Cardiff Wales Stadium, Edgbaston and The Oval.
The runner-up of the tournament will get a cheque of $ 1.1 million, while the other two semifinalists will earn $ 450,000 each. Teams finishing third in each group will take home $ 90,000 each, while the teams finishing last in each group will get $ 60,000 each.
