Was That A Wobble?

Sri Lanka became the first team through to the World Cup final and in doing so completed the sub continental shut out that was expected well before the first ball was bowled in the tournament. Australia or South Africa had been expected to be the last side from outside the sub continent removed but instead it was those proud battlers from New Zealand.

Almost always displaying their version of little man's syndrome, in the semi-final they never gave up, overcoming a slow start which bled wickets, to exercise most of their fifty overs to set a total that depended on Sri Lankan panic to succeed. Taylor, Syris and Williamson were the main architecs of the innings but the tail which contained some useful batsmen, collapsed with last five wickets producing only 25 runs. Another 25 from the likes of Vettori and Oram might have allowed more poressure to bear on Sri Lanka. Malinga bowled with great purpose and pace in two spells which caused havoc at the start and the end and the off spinner Mendis and the veteran Muriltharan never allowed New Zealand to escape.

At 1-160 in the reply, Dilshan and Sangakkara were cruising in the 33rd over. Thuranga had earlier been unlucky to caught off a short, wide Tim Southee delivery. Unlucky in that the rotund Jesse Ryder became Superman and defied gravity and common sense with a remarkable diving catch to his left at point. It was Southee in his second spell who returned to remove Dilshan, this time Ryder having a more placid entry into the scorebook. Sangakkara played a lazy uppercut to Styris at third man and then Vettori undid Jayawardene with flight and trapped him in from. Suddenly, three key wickets were down in less than four overs and when Southee bowled Silva not long after, the task at 5-185, was creating nervous quiet among the Colombo crowd.

It was the last hurrah for the Kiwis and the remaining runs were safelt regotiated, sending the them home from a World Cup semi-final forthe sixth time in ten events.