Sri Lanka entered the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup with a five-wicket win over New Zealand at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Tuesday.
Chasing 217, Sri Lanka looked like a sure thing after a 120-run association between Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (54) set it on the right path, but three quick wickets exposed its untested lower middle order to the guile of New Zealand.
With Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews in the middle, the co-host needed 22 off the last five overs, five wickets in hand and the mandatory batting Power Play in force. But Andy McKay, bowling the 46th over, hurled down a wide that scurried to the boundary, and in the next over, Mathews smote a six and a four off Tim Southee to prevent any more hiccoughs for the co-host, the victory finally achieved with 13 balls to spare.
Sensational pouch
Sri Lanka's first 50 runs came in 10.1 overs, but things slowed down when Jesse Ryder flew from point to take a sensational catch of Upul Tharanga. Dilshan discarded his initial caginess and deposited Jacob Oram for six over mid-wicket and reached his fifty in 71 balls.
Sangakkara followed suit, against Nathan McCullum's off-spin, stepping out and sending the ball soaring back over the bowler's head, a shot that took him past 400 runs in the tournament.
It was when Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara departed within nine runs of each other, and left Samaraweera and Chamara Silva to potter about for eight runs in five overs, that Kiwi hopes soared, and soared some more when Silva was bowled by Southee, 33 still required to win. But Mathews' precious cameo saw Sri Lanka home and into its second successive, and overall third, World Cup final.
Good stand
Earlier, New Zealand's 217 centred on one principal partnership — the 77-run stand between Scott Styris (57) and Ross Taylor (36) for the fourth wicket, but any aspirations to a bigger total were grounded as its last six wickets fell for 25 runs — the last four for four — against Sri Lanka's eclectic bowling attack. Although New Zealand gained 41 runs for the loss of two wickets in the batting Power Play (between overs 41.1 and 46) the conclusive thrust never came.
What did materialise were Malinga's three wickets — one every time the innings threatened to gain momentum — and the spinning out of the rest at the end.
The Kiwis began purposefully enough through Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill but the scoreboard stalled between the big hits.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath opened the bowling with Malinga and delivered the first breakthrough in the eighth over when McCullum (13, 21b), attempting to sweep, was beaten by the quicker one which clipped his off-stick.
In the 18th over, Muttiah Muralitharan, playing his last ODI on home soil, snapped up Ryder — the left-hander looking to play on the off-side, but edging to Sangakkara behind the stumps.
Malinga came back for his second spell and disturbed Guptill's furniture with a patented in-swinger.
Styris, now joined by Taylor, despatched two Malinga half-volleys to the fence as New Zealand's 100 came up in the 26th over, and then biffed two more fours off the same bowler in the 32nd.
Soon, Taylor pulled Ajantha Mendis down the throat of deep mid-wicket.
Styris got to his fifty with a gentle drive in the 41st over and Kane Williamson (22, 16b, 3x4) showed intent once the batting Power Play was taken, but Malinga returned and seared one into Williamson's pads to have New Zealand five-down in the 44th.
Nathan McCullum carted a six off Murali, only to be caught behind off a slower Malinga delivery in the next over. Murali marked his last ball on home soil with the wicket of Styris, the ball jagging back to hit the pads.
Styris opted for a review, but the on-field decision of ‘out' stood, giving the legendary off-spinner a fitting home finale.
New Zealand was unable to bat out its quota, as Mendis and Dilshan confined the innings to 48.5 overs.
Scoreboard
New Zealand: M. Guptill b Malinga 39 (65b, 3x4), B. McCullum b Herath 13 (21b, 1x4, 1x6), J. Ryder c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 19 (34b, 2x4), R. Taylor c Tharanga b Mendis 36 (55b, 1x4), S. Styris lbw b Muralitharan 57 (77b, 5x4), K. Williamson lbw b Malinga 22 (16b, 3x4), N. McCullum c Sangakkara b Malinga 9 (9b, 1x6), J. Oram c Jayawardene b Dilshan 7 (9b, 1x4), D. Vettori (not out) 3 (3b), T. Southee c Sangakkara b Mendis 0 (3b), A. McKay b Mendis 0 (2b); Extras (lb-5, w-6, nb-1): 12; Total (in 48.5 overs): 217.
Fall of wickets: 1-32 (B. McCullum), 2-69 (Ryder), 3-84 (Guptill), 4-161 (Taylor), 5-192 (Williamson), 6-204 (N. McCullum), 7-213 (Styris), 8-215 (Oram), 9-217 (Southee).
Sri Lanka bowling: Malinga 9-0-55-3, Herath 9-1-31-1, Mathews 6-0-27-0, Mendis 9.5-0-35-3, Muralitharan 10-1-42-2, Dilshan 5-0-22-1.
Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga c Ryder b Southee 30 (31b, 4x4, 1x6), T. Dilshan c Ryder b Southee 73 (93b, 10x4, 1x6), K. Sangakkara c Styris b McKay 54 (79b, 7x4, 1x6), M. Jayawardene lbw b Vettori 1 (3b), T. Samaraweera (not out) 23 (38b, 2x4), C. Silva b Southee 13 (25b, 2x4), A. Mathews (not out) 14 (18b, 1x4, 1x6); Extras (lb-2, w-10): 12; Total (for five wkts. in 47.5 overs): 220.
Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Tharanga), 2-160 (Dilshan), 3-161 (Jayawardene), 4-169 (Sangakkara), 5-185 (Silva).
New Zealand bowling: N. McCullum 6-0-33-0, Southee 10-2-57-3, Vettori 10-0-36-1, Oram 8-1-29-0, McKay 9.5-1-37-1, Styris 2-0-12-0, Ryder 2-0-14-0.