It's Sri Lanka all the way

By S. Dinakar

COLOMBO, JULY 31. In a truncated game, Sri Lanka's performance was complete. The batsmen, in perfect harmony with the lively music band that played below the press box, sparkled, and then the bowlers, backed by razor-sharp fielding, ruthlessly mowed down the Kiwis.

With an imposing 106-run victory at the pretty Sinhalese Sports Club Stadium, here, on Tuesday, Sanath Jayasuriya's men have now marched into the final of the Coca Cola triangular one-day tournament, registering their fourth win in five matches.

Chasing the home side's healthy 221 in 36 overs, the New Zealanders, who had opted to field, finished at a tame 115 for nine, more interested in playing out the overs after the early setbacks, than making a serious bid for the target.

The Lankan heroes on what was a memorable day for the host were middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who re- discovered his form with a brilliant 46-ball 58, and Man of the Match, the left- arm paceman Chaminda Vaas, who opened up the Kiwi line-up with three scalps in his opening burst.

Sri Lanka will take on India at the same ground on Wednesday.

Now to the disastrous New Zealand innings. When the Kiwi openers Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan began their side's uphill quest, they faced a daunting task. On a hard pitch that aided seam movement, the Lankan pacemen-this time the electric Dilhara Fernando shared the new ball with Vaas-licked their lips in anticipation.

It was the senior citizen of the pack, Vaas, who rocked the Kiwi innings early on, trapping Mathew Sinclair leg- before on the shuffle, and then forcing the left-handed Jacob Oram to nick an away seamer to Russel Arnold at the second slip.

Skipper Stephen Fleming, who had recovered from a stomach upset that had kept him out of two previous games, succumbed to the pressure slashing at a Vaas delivery, and this time it was Gunawardene who clung to the edge at first slip. The Kiwis were staring down the barrel and Vaas was on a roll.

There was more trouble for the visitors when Astle played Fernando to short mid-wicket and Jayawardene, swooping on the ball, hit the stumps at the non-striker's, before McMillan, who had initially set out for a run, could retrieve lost ground. And half the side was back in the pavilion for 18, when Astle edged a Fernando delivery with pace and bounce just out-side the off- stump and Gunawardene was `spot on' at the first slip again.

The Kiwis were effectively out of the contest. Dion Nash and Chris Harris battled to salvage some pride, the former surviving a vociferous appeal for caught behind when Muttiah Muralitharan got a delivery to spin sharply away from the right-hander.

However, Nash did not last too long after that shout, Marvan Atapattu rifling in a throw from short fine-leg to the striker's end before the Kiwi could complete a single.

And, on a day when nothing went right for the Kiwis, two more wickets fell at the same score-57. Offie Kumara Dharmasena, grabbed two wickets in two balls, Parore, rushing into his drive, knocking the ball back, and Daniel Vettori falling leg-before with the Lankan straightening the delivery into the left-hander from round the wicket.

Mills averted the hat-trick, but by then there was little left in the lop-sided match.

Start delayed

When the duel got underway-it was now a 36-overs-a-side game after the start was delayed by two hours and 45 minutes-skipper Jayasuriya signalled his intentions straightaway, lofting Tuffey to the cover boundary, striking Mills over mid-wicket and following that with a delicate glide.

The Lankan think-tank decided to send the hard-hitting Avishka Gunawardene to open with Jayasuriya, for, in a shortened game, the need of the hour was quick runs. This also meant Kumara Sangakkara found himself out of the eleven again. Jayasuriya was looking in ominous form, rattling up 20 off just 22 balls (5x4), when he turned Mills straight into Tuffey's hands at short fine- leg-it was a well laid trap by the Kiwis.

Gunawardene kept up the tempo, clipping Mills though the mid- wicket, striking Nash over covers and the fifty arrived in just eight overs. Lanka had made the right start on a pitch where the ball was coming on to the bat.

The little Kaluwitharana, who had been involved in a hundred-run stand with Jayasuriya in the previous game, walked in at No. 3- just goes to show that the Lankans had a plan `B' for a rain- affected situation. Kaluwitharana, always a busy batsman, maintained the tempo, stepping down the track and hammering Nash straight down the ground, but the stroke that stood out was his delicate cut off Oram. At the 15-over mark, the score was 87, and Kiwis were very much in the line of fire.

However, when he was looking set for bigger things, Kaluwitharana (25, 36b, 2x4) perished to a run-out. The dasher pushed Harris to point and set out for a single. Oram flung himself to his right at point and swiftly relayed the ball to the non-striker's end where the bowler wasted little time in removing the bails.

New Zealand should have struck again soon, but Gunawardene's uppish pull off Harris was put down by Sinclair at short mid- wicket. However, Harris, finally, got his man, Gunawardene (38, 51b, 3x4), trying to work the ball on the leg- side, getting a leading edge, and Sinclair, running in from mid- on, compensating for his earlier lapse.

This was the stage when the spin duo of left-armer Vettori and leggie Harris, operated in tandem, and the Lankans, found boundaries harder to come by.

Both were operating wicket-to-wicket and not giving room to the batsmen to launch into the booming strokes. With the outfield a touch slow due to slight dampness, the batsmen had to strike the ball harder against the slower bowlers.

Cannily, Marvan Atapattu, presenting an elegant picture whenever he drove the ball in front of the wicket, and Mahela Jayawardene, under the gun as far as his place in the side was concerned, opted to pick their runs in ones and twos during this phase. The score was 125 was when the 25-over-mark was reached.

It was finally the talented Jayawardene who produced a big blow, dancing down to Harris and striking him over long-on for a delightful six. The crowd was back on its feet.

Atapattu though was reprieved on 26, McMillan at short mid-wicket diving to his right but not latching on to the rapidly travelling ball even as the batsman pulled Nash.

The fourth-wicket pair had raised 56 in 57 balls when Atapattu (34, 39b, 1x4, 1x6), after imperiously striking Vettori over the cover boundary, gave the left-armer the charge on the off-side, missed the line and Parore had the bails off. It was a typical Atapattu innings, the stylish batsman making a useful contribution without too many people noticing it.

Jayawardene changed gears at the other end, dismissing Nash for a sweetly timed straight six when the bowler returned for a fresh spell. The Lankan, then, swinging McMillan, twice, behind square for boundaries, reached his fifty in just 41 balls (4x4, 2x6), and celebrated the occasion by thumping Oram to the mid-wicket fence. It was a glorious return to form by a cricketer whose ability has never really been in question.

The Lankan finally perished to McMillan in a bid to further accelerate the scoring, Nash making no mistake at deep mid- wicket. Suresh Perera, took a swipe at McMillan and saw the ball hit the timber, but Arnold (22 not out, 17b, 2x4), a clever southpaw, picked up a couple of useful boundaries towards the end, forcing the ball on the on-side. The Lankans ended up with a rather formidable 221 for six in 36 overs, the final eleven overs producing a whopping 96 runs with the Kiwis wilting under the onslaught.

Earlier, the groundstaff did a wonderful job to get the match started, the super soppers were put into use and, ultimately, when the covers were removed, the wicket was bone dry. In the morning, the scenario appeared gloomy with dark clouds and a persistent drizzle dampening the spirits of a small but enthusiastic crowd present at this colourful ground. However, there was a dramatic change in their mood once the Lankan batsmen waltzed. Fleming's decision to insert the Lankans had boomeranged.

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