No clues from coy Sangakkara

"We've got a lot of variation in our bowling attack and will try to exploit that in these conditions - which, I think, are a bit more suited to us."
Kumar Sangakkara Quotes of the week

Mendis was ommitted from the Sri Lanka side that beat India on Tuesday to book a return visit to Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.

England have limited experience of Mendis' brand of finger and wrist spin, but did play him satisfactorily at the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is, however, keeping his counsel over a possible recall. "We'll have to have a think about that, how it works with our combination and our batting," he said.

"We would love him to play. He's a top quality spinner, and England have probably played him once.

"It's a realistic possibility, but we've got other spinners who are pretty good at what they do.

"We've got a lot of variation in our bowling attack and will try to exploit that in these conditions - which, I think, are a bit more suited to us."

Sangakkara, whose team have made it through to the last four despite a heavy Super Eight defeat against Australia, also disputed England skipper Paul Collingwood's assertion that winning momentum counts for much in world tournaments.

Momentum

Of England, he added: "Any team in Twenty20 is tough. You always start with a clean slate. Momentum and past wins just don't matter on the day. Twenty20 changes really quickly. We put ourselves in a hole after the Australia game.

"But we've managed to do well in big tournaments, and I hope against England we can convert that into another win and another final.

"Hoping and wishing and wanting is one thing. But actually doing it is another."

Sangakkara has plenty of respect for an England side who have impressed over the past two weeks with their power-hitting and clever bowling.

"I think they're a very good side. They've got a lot more balance than they've ever had before, a lot more depth," he said.

Concentrate

"We know what they can do but we will be trying to concentrate on how we can get England reacting to us."

He accepts that the return of Kevin Pietersen - albeit only 20 hours before match time, following a dash across the Atlantic and back to see the birth of his first child - can only be good news for England.

"I'm sure he'll be able to adapt," Sangakkara said. "He's had a very important milestone in his personal life - and him coming back into the England side will be a huge source of strength for them and something more for us to think about."