Lankan Lions had trounced the Kiwis in the first semi-finals to enter finals at Barbados. In big games, 99 % of the time it is better to bat first blindfolded even under damp conditions. This is what Jayawardene did. Even though they had lost two of their best batsmen cheaply, Srilanka with Upul Tharanga played positively and kept the scoring rate somewhat decent. They were never bogged down.
Jayawardene paced his innings very well. Initially he was slow, but got into momentum as innings progressed. He was ably supported by Chamara Silva and Dilshan. Jayawardene produced one of his best one-day innings at the most opportune time. Unfortunately for Kiwis, Shane bond was off-color. Apart from Bond they don’t have any strike bowlers. Other Pace bowlers are decent and disciplined but not wicket taking.
It requires a special innings, like Inzamam’s knock against Kiwis in 1992 semi-finals, to chase a big total in big games. Kiwis simply crumbled under pressure. Vaas and Malinga provided the initial break-through and also kept the things tight for Kiwis. Then Murali did his routine, scalping the hapless Kiwi batsmen.
A sign of a good team is when one or two of its key members fail the other members take the responsibility and finishes the job for their team. In each of the games played so far Srilankans did just that. They are just a step away from lifting the coveted World Cup.
SCOECARD - I SEMIFINALS SL vs NZ
1 comment:
Good post!
Lankans have done a good job and i would like to see them lift the cup!
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