1st Semi Final: Srilanka vs New Zealand

Sri Lanka overcame a serious bout of the jitters to book their place in Saturday's World Cup final in Mumbai, as New Zealand bowed out in the last four for the sixth time in ten campaigns, though with their pride fully intact after another fabulous never-say-die performance in Colombo.

In a strange amalgam of the one-sided thrashing that Sri Lanka handed out to England in their quarter-final on Saturday, and New Zealand's last-eight fightback against South Africa in Dhaka, the favourites duly progressed, and by a seemingly comfortable five-wicket margin. However, the closing stages were fraught in the extreme as a raucous home crowd was forced to postpone a party that had been in full swing for more than three-quarters of the contest.

Defending a mediocre total of 217 after a spirited batting effort had unravelled in a clatter of late wickets, New Zealand's lust for a scrap kicked in with a vengeance just when it seemed the match was finally out of their reach. At 160 for 1 in the 33rd over, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara entrenched in a game-breaking partnership of 120, what little attention had been on this, the less glamorous of the two semi-finals, had already begun to drift towards Wednesday's epic match-up in Mohali.

But then Dilshan, cruising on 73 from 93 deliveries and seemingly destined for his second hundred in consecutive matches, slapped loosely at Tim Southee and picked out Jesse Ryder at point, whose second catch of the innings was a far less breathtaking affair than his earlier one-handed pluck off Sri Lanka's pace-setter, Upul Tharanga.

Three balls later, the new man Mahela Jayawardene was beaten in flight by a beautiful dipping delivery from Daniel Vettori and nailed plumb lbw for 1, whereupon Sangakkara's habitually cool head deserted him, as he attempted to steer the lively Andy McKay over the keeper for four, but ended up dollying a simple chance to Scott Styris at third man.

Sri Lanka had lost three wickets for eight runs in 22 deliveries, and just as had been the case in the throttling of South Africa, New Zealand's bowlers ramped up the aggro while maintaining supremely disciplined lines and lengths. On the same worn wicket that had been used for the England quarter-final, runs suddenly became excruciatingly hard to come by as Sri Lanka's untested middle order was fully exposed to the limelight.

Chamara Silva and Thilan Samaraweera scraped together nine runs in six overs as the asking-rate climbed to close to five, and it took a message from the dressing room, delivered with a drink from Dilhara Fernando, to persuade them out of their defensive mindset. Silva responded with two fours in consecutive deliveries as Ryder's seam-up was brought into the attack, but three balls later he tried to get aggressive against the extra pace of Southee and chopped onto his own stumps for 13.

Samaraweera, however, had the experience to see his team home. A short ball from Ryder was fetched over midwicket for four, before a wild throw from Oram gifted him another four as the ball sailed over the keeper's head. Another error lopped five more precious runs off the total as a McKay wide slipped through the keeper's grasp, and though McKay responded with a beauty to Angelo Mathews that was sent to be reviewed for caught-behind, the lack of Hot Spot meant there was no evidence available to reverse the on-field decision.

And with a smoking six off Southee in the next over, the game was finally relieved of its tension - even though it took two winning shots to seal it, after Mathew's initial carve through the covers was called a dead-ball due to a firework exploding right at the moment of delivery. Instead, Samaraweera nudged through third man to wrap up the game with 13 balls to spare.

Such a nerve-jangling finale could not have seemed further from the agenda while Sri Lanka's innings was in full flow. From the moment Tharanga launched his third ball, from Nathan McCullum, straight down the ground for six, Sri Lanka were always ahead of the asking-rate. His departure for 30 from 31 balls did change the tempo of the Sri Lankan innings, but neither Dilshan nor Sangakkara had any reason to rush towards a modest victory target.

Sangakkara had an early let-off when he edged Oram at a catchable height through the vacant slip cordon, while Dilshan - who had been so combative against England - took 28 deliveries to score the second boundary of his innings, and his 50th of the World Cup to date. But he went on to pass 400 runs for the tournament, en route to overtaking Jonathan Trott as the leading run-scorer, and as Sangakkara finally began to nail his trademark cover-drives, New Zealand looked to have run out of ideas.

In hindsight, the Kiwis will look back on the closing stages of their own innings with regret, for a late collapse of 5 for 13, including 4 for 4 in 12 balls, undermined much of the good work they had put into the early part of their innings. The bed-rock was provided by Scott Styris, a centurion against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup, who ground out a responsible 57 from 76 balls. But when he was extracted lbw by the final delivery that Muttiah Muralitharan will ever bowl on home soil, Sri Lanka responded euphorically to scythe through the tail and leave seven precious deliveries unused.

Whether a 240 target would have made any difference will remain a matter for conjecture. Though they fared better than any other team in the tournament so far in taking 41 runs off Sri Lanka's bowlers in the batting Powerplay, they were ultimately undone by the depth and variety of their attack, with Lasith Malinga's yorkers scalping three key wickets at critical moments.

Too many of New Zealand's batsmen made starts without going on. Martin Guptill flicked Malinga's fifth delivery through midwicket in a 65-ball 39, only for Malinga to york him superbly when he returned for his second spell, while Brendon McCullum slog-swept Rangana Herath for six, only to be bowled for 13 playing the exact same stroke. Taylor, whose ferocious hitting could have been so valuable at the death, launched a Mendis long-hop straight to deep midwicket just when he looked ready to build on his 36 from 55 balls.

But as Vettori takes his leave of the New Zealand captaincy, he can reflect on yet another campaign in which his team rose to the challenge of the big event in precisely the manner that too many of their supposed betters - namely England and South Africa - consistently fail to do. Sangakkara and his men, meanwhile, march on to their second final in consecutive World Cups, where Muralitharan - his broken body notwithstanding - will attempt to complete his career on the highest high imaginable.

4th Quarter Final: Srilanka vs England

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga set an emphatic seal on Sri Lanka's place in their home semi-final against New Zealand next Tuesday, as England's chaotic World Cup campaign came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end under the floodlights at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Set a testing total of 230 at a venue where successful run-chases have been notoriously thin on the ground, Sri Lanka's openers set about proving that history is bunk as they sauntered to victory by 10 wickets and with a massive 63 balls to spare. After five months on the road for England's cricketers, and six consecutive nail-biters in the group stages of the tournament, they found they had nothing left to give as the first round of knock-out matches was concluded with an utter walloping.

Though several higher scores have been made in this tournament to date, England's total of 229 for 6 ought to have competitive in the conditions. Only eight times in 49 internationals at the venue had a team batting second chased 230 or more for victory, and the most recent occasion came back in 2004. However, Dilshan and Tharanga battled through a tricky start with a flurry of aggression, before settling back into an effortlessly accumulative tempo. For the second time in the campaign, following on from their crushing of Zimbabwe in Pallekele, both men brought up centuries in a massive and indomitable stand.

Such was Sri Lanka's dominance that the match was able to finish in comically contrived scenes, as Dilshan - who had already reached his landmark with a savage cut for four off Graeme Swann - set about shepherding his partner to his own hundred. With seven runs still needed and Tharanga on 98, Dilshan accidentally carved Swann clean through the covers, and was grimacing his apologies before the ball had crossed the rope. Dilshan responded with two of the most exaggerated forward defences he has ever played, the first to a rank long-hop that even Swann was able to smile about, and with both men rendered virtually immobile with cramp, Tharanga finished the game three balls into Chris Tremlett's subsequent over, with a flat-footed swipe through the off-side.

The statistics told a sorry tale for England. All told they managed 12 fours in the whole of their 50 overs, two of which were scored by Jonathan Trott, whose 86 from 115 balls was his fifth half-century in seven innings, as he became the first batsman to pass 400 runs in the current tournament. Eoin Morgan provided some impetus with a 55-ball 50, but the batting Powerplay once again scuppered their momentum, as they were restricted to 23 runs and two key wickets in their five overs of fielding restrictions. Sri Lanka by contrast clobbered 22 fours and three sixes in less than 40 overs. The final result was every bit as resounding as it had been when these two teams last met in a World Cup quarter-final, at Faisalabad 15 years ago, a match that was lit up by Sanath Jayasuriya's epoch-defining 82 from 44 balls.

The nature of England's campaign meant that everyone, players and spectators alike, was waiting for the inevitable twist in the narrative, a fightback of the sort that the bowlers had produced against South Africa and West Indies earlier in the tournament - two other occasions in which the openers had proven hard to dislodge. However, it simply never materialised.

England's bowling effort started promisingly enough. Tim Bresnan found good swing in a tidy first over, while Swann spun the ball sharply after being armed with the new ball. However, Tharanga quickly decided valour was the better part of discretion, and latched onto a modicum of width to crash his first four in Bresnan's second over, before using his feet expertly to deposit Swann back over his head for six.

Tremlett, retained in the team ahead of the experienced James Anderson, looked set to justify his place in a brilliant first over in which he beat Dilshan three balls in a row, including a massive nip-backer that shaved the leg bail on its way through to Prior. But his line and length became scrambled thereafter, and whereas England had managed just four boundaries in their first 25 overs, Dilshan cashed in with two in four balls, both crashed through the off side, as Sri Lanka reached 57 for 0 at the end of the first Powerplay.

The chances that England were able to create were too marginal to be capitalised upon. Early in his innings, Dilshan survived a miscued pull off Bresnan that looped over the head of short midwicket, while Ravi Bopara came within a whisker of bowling him in his first over, only for the ball to beat everyone and fizz away for four byes. The same fate awaited a beauty of a delivery from Swann, while James Tredwell, the hero of Chennai, was tidy but unthreatening in his first three overs, before Dilshan planted his front foot to drill him into the stands at long-off. Tremlett returned to create two half-chances as the ball was drilled hard back through his fingertips, but the game was as good as over long before then.

At the innings break, the scenario seemed to be very different. England looked nervous and leaden-footed against a Sri Lankan attack loaded with four front-line spinners, including the Man of the Match Dilshan, who took the new ball and scalped Andrew Strauss after a dreadful innings of 5 from 19 balls. But they endured and briefly, while Trott and Eoin Morgan were in harness, they thrived, adding 91 in 16 overs for the fourth wicket.

However, their ambitions of a formidable 240-plus total were scuppered by the dismissal of Morgan in the first over of the Powerplay. Until he drilled Lasith Malinga at deep cover for a 55-ball 50, he had lived a charmed life, with no fewer than four clear-cut chances going his way - three dropped catches, two of them extraordinarily easy, and an lbw appeal on 29 that would have proved stone-dead on review. His luck, however, ran out at an inopportune moment for England, and when Swann missed a switch hit to fall for a first-ball duck, England proved incapable of reaching the boundary while the field was up, with just 23 runs coming in the five overs of fielding restrictions, and 56 in the last 10 all told.

Trott's performance was that of a man who knew that if he batted through the innings, the runs would materialise somehow. He scored his first boundary from his 65th delivery, and eventually fell in pursuit of his third, as he swept Muttiah Muralitharan to deep backward square with nine balls of the innings remaining. Despite inevitable criticism of the tempo of his innings, his sang froid appeared to be well suited to the situation, as he backed himself to work the ones and twos in a boundary-less start to his innings, and at the same time he drew a gutsy response from Ravi Bopara, who was far less comfortable with the tempo, but knuckled down for 31 from 56 balls.

Murali, whose legendary career has now been extended by one more game at least, finished with 2 for 54 in nine overs before limping off with an apparent recurrence of his hamstring strain. However, that tally could have been higher but for an extraordinary sequence of events in his eighth over, when Morgan was dropped twice in consecutive deliveries. He had already survived one dolly of an opportunity on 16, when Thilan Samaraweera shelled a leading edge off Ajantha Mendis at point, but Murali couldn't contain his fury when, first, Angelo Mathews at extra cover fluffed a lofted drive, before Rangana Herath dived forward at point but failed to cling on.

If those moments were evidence that Sri Lanka were feeling the pressure of the big occasion, they were fleeting at best. The insolent ease of this performance means that New Zealand will arrive in Colombo with trepidation ahead of their sixth semi-final appearance in ten World Cups. They have never yet progressed beyond that stage, and four years ago in Jamaica, they were sent on their way by one of the best hundreds of Mahela Jayawardene's career. Today, however, Jayawardene's solitary contribution was a catch at deep square leg. Whereas England have been on their chinstraps all tournament long, Sri Lanka - it is clear -are a team with plenty still in reserve.

Srilanka vs New Zealand

Sri Lanka's old guard combined to ease to a 112-run victory over New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Kumar Sangakkara made his first ODI century since June 2008, supported by a controversial 66 from Mahela Jayawardene, to haul Sri Lanka up to 265 before Muttiah Muralitharan spun New Zealand to defeat with 4 for 25.

Coming into the tournament as one of the favourites, Sri Lanka have not quite convinced so far and but for their three most experienced players might have struggled again. Instead the finish was the kind of one-sided result that has epitomised Group A.

New Zealand, though, will rue their misfortune when Jayawardene was reprieved at a critical moment. Sri Lanka had lost both openers and were struggling to get on top of the New Zealand slow bowlers when, in the 24th over, Jayawardene chipped a return catch to Nathan McCullum.

It went low to McCullum's right and the bowler dived full-length to scoop the ball centimetres off the turf. The batsman stood his ground and the decision was sent upstairs. Side-on replays seemed to clearly show McCullum's fingers under the ball but a front-on shot, as it so often does, created doubt that the third umpire, Amiesh Saheba, ruled on. Before then Jayawardene had scrambled for 50 deliveries to make 26 but silkily added a further 40 at a run a ball and Sri Lanka never looked back.

Sangakkara helped himself to a century that he's been waiting 64 matches for. Looking typically unhurried, he was content to work the ball around early on before unfurling some of the stylish strokes that are his hallmark as the innings went on. One six, eased down the ground off Scott Styris, told of a batsman in total control.

The verbal exchanges that Jayawardene got involved with after his escape only served to fire him up and he was soon exhibiting the fluent form that had deserted him since his century against Canada in Sri Lanka's opening game.

The pair added 145 and the importance of the stand was demonstrated by what followed. Sangakkara rushed to his century with four boundaries in six deliveries but was out soon after for 111. Following his dismissal Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 55 in the final 8.2 overs. That they even got so many was almost entirely down to Angelo Mathews, who swatted 41 from 35 balls to thwart New Zealand's fightback.

In the end, the collapse was irrelevant but in the knockout stages, opposition teams will know beneath Sri Lanka's top order is a soft underbelly waiting to be exposed. New Zealand would have backed themselves to make a better fist of chasing but - despite dew, on a ground that will host the World Cup final, hampering the Sri Lanka spinners - Muralitharan and Mendis choked them into submission.

The early work was done by the quicks when Brendon McCullum was given out by the TV umpire after Jayawardene, of all people, claimed a low catch off Mathews. There was some uncertainty as the take was almost spilled at the last moment. TV replays were not entirely certain but, unlike the first time, the right decision was made and McCullum was sent on his was for 14. After Guptill fell for 13, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor threatened to make a match of it but the spinners took over.

Mendis' mystery may have faded with exposure but his variations proved too much for Ryder who nibbed a carrom-ball behind for a 23-ball 19. Muralitharan's introduction had been delayed after he picked up an injury while batting. Despite hobbling around, he was still devastating when he finally got into the attack in the 18th over.

A doosra took care of Kane Williamson for 5 before he landed the killer blow by spinning one back into Taylor's pads. Despite a big stride and a review, Taylor was rightly given out for 33 and his team never looked like competing. Scott Styris chipped a return catch to Muralitharan, who belied his injury to spring up and snaffle the chance, and Nathan McCullum and James Franklin soon followed. Between them Mendis and Muralitharan took six wickets for 59 in 14 overs.

Unlike the frenzied excitement in Group B, the qualifiers in Group A are already settled. Sri Lanka are guaranteed to finish second whatever happens between Australia and Pakistan, which might well leave them in line for a contest against the World Cup mysterybox, England, in the quarter finals.

SMART STATS:

The 145-run partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene is the second-highest for Sri Lanka against New Zealand in a World Cup match.

• Sangakkara and Jayawardene have put together 4724 partnership runs in ODIs, which is the highest by a non-opening pair. This was also their tenth century partnership in ODIs, which puts them in second place, next only to the Sachin Tendulkar-Rahul Dravid pair, who have 11.
• In World Cups, this was their third century partnership in ten innings, but the first against a Test-playing team. Only three other non-opening pairs have got three hundred stands in World Cups.
• The 112-run margin of victory is Sri Lanka's third-highest against New Zealand.
• Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling returns of 4 for 25 is his second-best in World Cups, next only to his 4 for 19 against Ireland in 2007.
• New Zealand's total of 153 is their fourth-lowest in a World Cup match, and their poorest against Sri Lanka.

Srilanka vS Zimbabwe

When Elton Chigumbura chose to bowl in Pallekele, to avoid his spinners having to struggle with a dew-soaked ball, little did he think his team would fail to take a wicket for 44.3 overs. But Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga batted forever, notching up the first double-century opening partnership in World Cup history, and their hundreds set up Sri Lanka's victory, officially securing their place in the quarter-finals.

The result was a foregone conclusion once Sri Lanka scored 327 but there was a flutter of hope in the Zimbabwe camp when Brendan Taylor was at the forefront of the pursuit. He combined orthodoxy and innovation during an aggressive half-century, taking advantage of a wayward Sri Lankan pace attack. The hosts gathered themselves, though, and struck twice at the other end after a century opening stand. Taylor eventually departed for 80 in the 25th over, and with him ended Zimbabwe's improbable chances.

The struggle of Zimbabwe's batsmen was in contrast to the ease with which Dilshan and Tharanga had entertained a packed house. They started at top speed, taking 84 of the first 11 overs by playing a shot a minute, and then shifted to a lower gear, bleeding Zimbabwe steadily and so easily through the middle overs. There were regular bursts of acceleration later in the innings and a concerted push during the final ten overs. At no stage were they bothered and rarely has a bowling performance looked so toothless - Chris Mpofu's shout after striking Tharanga's pad with the first ball of the game was the only appeal against the openers. Tired shots, rather than incisive bowling, brought about the dismissal of Tharanga and then Dilshan, and more middle-order wickets fell as batsmen came, swung and pushed the total beyond 300.

Tharanga threaded the fourth ball through point with a square drive and Sri Lanka were away. For the first time in the tournament Chigumbura did not use Ray Price with the brand new ball and gave the second over to Tinashe Panyangara. It was a costly decision as Dilshan ran amok, driving the full balls, and cutting and pulling the short ones to take 18 runs off the over.

There was no let-up in Sri Lanka's pace during the mandatory Powerplay, off which they scored 77. Dilshan and Tharanga slashed through point, pulled through square and then drove when the length was too full, punishing everyone who bowled at them. When Price was brought on in the fifth over, Dilshan skipped down and drove him inside out through cover.

Not until the 12th and 13th over was there spin from both ends and then Price bowled the innings' first maiden. The spin trio of Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer began to exercise more control over the run-rate, which dipped below six for the first time in the 19th, but they failed to take a wicket. Tharanga and Dilshan seamlessly shifted to a lower gear and focused on accumulation.

Zimbabwe's spinners had conceded only 76 runs off 17 overs when Chigumbura gave pace another run by bringing himself on. Dilshan slapped a wide offering through cover to move to 99 and then reached his century off 95 balls, his first in World Cups. Panyangara returned and Tharanga immediately lofted over mid-off and pulled past fine leg. Sri Lanka took 30 off overs 31-33.

Tharanga and Dilshan broke Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti's World Cup record of 194 for the first wicket and then became the first openers to score hundreds in the same World Cup innings. They reached 200 in 33.4 overs. During the batting Powerplay, taken in the 41st over, Tharanga's inside-out play through cover was exquisite. With the highest opening partnership in ODIs - 286 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tharanga at Headingley 2006 - within striking distance, Tharanga holed out to deep cover, bringing Zimbabwe some relief. Dilshan followed in the next over, leaving the finishing touches to his well-rested team-mates.

As impressive as Sri Lanka's display was, Taylor played some of the best shots of the game. Using Malinga's pace, Taylor flicked a low full toss to the backward square-leg boundary, pushed a wide one through covers and chipped a short one over Kumar Sangakkara's head. There was only touch and timing in those shots, no power. Taylor got to his fifty off 39 balls and carried on batting aggressively.

Muttiah Muralitharan came on only in the 16th over, after the bowling Powerplay was completed, and in the 20th he spun a doosra on to Regis Chakabva's off stump, ending the opening stand on 116. Tatenda Taibu was bent on reverse-sweeping Murali whenever he could, and got away with it. He didn't get away with edging Angelo Mathew though, and Sangakkara dived to his right to take the catch inches off the ground.

Those two wickets set back Zimbabwe's chase considerably, and Taylor's dismissal was the definitive blow. On 80, he chipped a slower ball from Angelo Mathews straight to midwicket and the contest was over. Dilshan returned to torment Zimbabwe, picking up four batsmen - his finishing touches on a terrific game. And Murali, playing his final ODI in front of his home crowd, took the final wicket.

SMART STATS:

• The 282-run opening partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga is the highest opening stand in World Cups going past the 194-run stand between Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti in the 1999 semi-final. Tharanga has been involved in five 200-plus stands in ODIs.
• The record opening stand is also the second-highest stand for the opening wicket in ODIs only behind the 286 stand between Sanath Jayasuriya and Tharanga against England. It is also the fourth-highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs and the second highest in World Cups.
• Sri Lanka's 327 is their third-highest total in a World Cup game and their tenth best in ODIs. It is also their highest total against Zimbabwe in ODIs.
• The 116-run stand between Brendan Taylor and Regis Chakabva is the highest opening stand for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in ODIs and their fifth-highest for any wicket in World Cups.
• Dilshan became only the second player after Feiko Kloppenburg of Netherlands to score a century and take four wickets in a World Cup game. Overall, in ODIs, Dilshan is the 11th player to achieve the feat. It is also Dilshan's first century in World Cups.
• The 139-run margin is Sri Lanka's fifth-largest victory margin in World Cups and the largest against Zimbabwe in World Cup games.
• The 398 runs aggregated by both opening pairs is the highest in an ODI surpassing the 368 runs aggregated in the match between Sri Lanka and England in 2006.
• Dilshan's figures of 4 for 4 is the best bowling by a Sri Lankan spinner in World Cups and the tenth-best overall for a spinner in World Cup games.
• This was the first time in World Cups and the 22nd time overall in ODIs that both openers scored centuries in an innings.

Australia vs Srilanka

Torrential downpour forced the game to be abandoned after Kumar Sangakkara pushed Sri Lanka to 146 for 3 in 32.5 overs. It was a typical tough scramble of a contest that is expected on a turning track in Sri Lanka. Sangakkara led from the front with a responsible, and skillful, knock to push Sri Lanka towards a competitive total when rain intervened to kill the contest.

The way the ball turned and bounced suggested that anything over 250 would be defendable, and it appeared as if Sangakkara was batting with that knowledge in his mind. He had two good partnerships with Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera before the elements took over.

Jayawardene had added 44 runs with his captain and they looked in great touch and control. If Sangakkara tried to punch through the line, Jayawardene looked to caress through the covers; if Sangakkara dabbed to the off, Mahela nudged to the leg, and both ran the singles well. The run-rate wasn't too high but Sri Lanka looked to be in control as the track was increasingly showing signs of aiding turn and bounce.

They thrived on quick singles and ironically, it led to Jayawardene's dismissal. He hesitated after tapping to point and that allowed Steve Smith to fire in a direct hit at the non-striker's end to catch him short of the crease. Sri Lanka were 75 for 3 at that stage and the pressure escalated on Sangakkara, but he continued on with his serene style.

Sangakkara's class stood out right from the moment he walked out to the middle after Tillakaratne Dilshan combusted early, slashing Shaun Tait to second slip in the second over. Even as Upul Tharanga struggled for timing and looked to be hurried by the pace, Sangakkara seemed to have time to play the ball late. He punched Brett Lee to the straight boundary, laced him through the covers and whipped through midwicket to collect 12 runs from the third over. He then square drove Shane Watson to the boundary, but the shot of the day was a classy on-the-up caressed punch off Mitchell Johnson to the straight boundary in the 12th over. Along with Samaraweera, he ensured there would be no further damage and steered Sri Lanka to a strong position when the ground was deluged by heavy rains.

Srilanka vs Kenya

Lasith Malinga announced his return to full fitness by storming his way to an unprecedented second World Cup hat-trick with an exhibition of yorker-on-demand bowling that proved too much for Kenya's tail at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The visitors imploded to 142 all out despite dogged half-centuries from the Obuya brothers, who enjoyed plenty of fortune in a determined 94-run stand that kept the varied threats of Sri Lanka's bowling at bay for nearly 30 overs. Sri Lanka's batsmen barely had to break a sweat in the chase, finishing it off in 18 overs.

The Obuyas weren't exactly convincing - testing every edge of their bat, surviving close lbw calls, regularly air-driving outside off and rarely reading the spinner's variations - but hung on obdurately to take Kenya into triple-digits. A solid platform was in place when they had hauled Kenya to 102 for 2, but Malinga's burst demolished the tail as the final eight wickets were blasted out for 40 runs. None of the other Kenyan batsmen made it past single-figures.

The Kenyan collapse was rapid: it took only 22 deliveries for them to go from 127 for 4 to being bowled out. Muttiah Muralitharan started it off by getting the set batsman David Obuya to slog-sweep to midwicket.

Then it was Malinga time. Jimmy Kamande barely found his bearings after being struck by a toe-crusher, and decided to go for a single when the ball was only a couple of metres away from him. Chamara Silva pounced from midwicket and did a passable imitation of Jonty Rhodes from 1992 to crash into the stumps and dismiss Kamande.

Tanmay Mishra was next, becoming the first victim of Malinga's hat-trick after missing a full delivery on leg stump to fall for a 13-ball duck. It was the final ball of the over, and Malinga gave Peter Ongondo the warmest welcome possible to the tournament in the first ball of his next - a yorker that uprooted middle. The staggered dismissals meant many in the crowd weren't aware that Malinga was on a hat-trick. He steamed in and middle stump was dismantled again next ball, the clueless batsman this time was Shem Ngoche.

Attention then shifted to whether Malinga could repeat his outrageous four-in-four from the 2007 World Cup, but he sprayed a wild delivery for five leg-side wides. Elijah Otieno defended the next ball, but that was followed by another unstoppable yorker from Malinga that thud into leg stump to end Kenya's innings. Malinga had taken four in five legal deliveries to finish with 6 for 38.

A tiresomely familiar tale seemed set to play out earlier in the afternoon when Kenya slid to 8 for 2 in the third over. Nuwan Kulasekara and Malinga removed the openers cheaply with their favourite weapons - Kulasekara getting Maurice Ouma with an inducker, and Malinga dislodging Seren Waters with an inswinging yorker that left the batsman on his knees.

The Obuyas ensured there wasn't a repeat of Kenya's house-of-cards performance against New Zealand. Kulasekara gave away only nine runs in a constricting six-over opening spell, but Kenya were more at ease against Angelo Mathews, who was taken for a couple of boundaries.

Sri Lanka brought on the spin of Ajantha Mendis in the 14th over to break the frustrating stand, but though the batsmen weren't sure which way the ball would turn, they survived his bag of tricks with some dour defence. Kumar Sangakkara then turned to Muttiah Muralitharan to get the wickets, but though there were leading edges and outside edges, Murali couldn't break through, with the batsmen negotiating him with a series of sweeps.

It was painfully slow progress from the Obuyas, and after more than two hours of defiance, it was that most deadly of weapons that separated them - a Malinga yorker. Some more of those left Sri Lanka chasing a tiny target in front of a raucous Colombo crowd.

The fans had even more to cheer when Sri Lanka batted, as Tillkaratne Dilshan provided a typically fast start with an array of punches through cover. He picked up a couple of boundaries in three successive overs to power Sri Lanka to 51 in the sixth over. Upul Tharanga, who started sedately, then joined the party with three fours in the next over. Dilshan fell short of a half-century, but Tharanga went on to make 67 with a string of lofted boundaries in the batting Powerplay to hasten the finish, and push Sri Lanka to the top of the table on net run-rate.

Smart Stats

• Lasith Malinga became the only bowler to pick up two hat-tricks in World Cups. His previous one had come against South Africa in 2007. So far, six bowlers have taken a hat-trick in World Cups.
• This was also the first instance of bowlers taking hat-tricks in consecutive matches in a World Cup. The 2003 World Cup was the last edition to see two hat-tricks.
• Malinga's 6 for 38 is the second-best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan bowler in World Cups, behind Chaminda Vaas' 6 for 25 against Bangladesh in 2003.
• The 94-run stand between David Obuya and Collins Obuya is the fourth-best for Kenya for the third wicket in World Cups.
• Apart from David Obuya and Collins Obuya, the rest of the batsmen failed to reach double figures and aggregated just 20 runs among them. From a decent position of 120 for 3, Kenya lost the last seven wickets for just 22 runs to be bowled out for 142.
• David Obuya's strike-rate of 48.11 and Collins Obuya's strike-rate of 52 are third and seventh on the list of lowest strike-rates for scores between 50 and 99 in World Cups. The lowest is Ishwar Maraj's 53 off 155 balls, at a strike-rate of 34.19 against South Africa in 2003.
• The 188 dot-balls in the Kenya innings is the second-highest in the 2011 World Cup, behind the 194 dots in Canada's innings against Zimbabwe.
• Sri Lanka's nine-wicket win over Kenya was achieved with 188 balls to spare. This is third on the list of victories with most balls to spare for Sri Lanka in World Cups.

Pakistan vs Srilanka

Anyone out there who still thinks Pakistan are not dangerous contenders for the World Cup? With tremendous poise and skill in the middle overs, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan propelled Pakistan, who were on a tricky 105 for 2 in the 21st over, to a strong 277, before Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akthar produced bits of magic to derail the chase. Chamara Silva threatened to pull off a thrilling heist with a flurry of boundaries, and Nuwan Kulasekara made one heroic last-ditch effort to reduce the equation to 18 runs from the final over. Umar Gul, however, held his nerve to steer Pakistan home and end a mesmeric exhibition of high-quality cricket in Colombo

Pakistan's innings had everything: rapid start, brain fade, tranquil middle overs, fabulous end-over bowling from Muttiah Muralitharan, who gave only five runs from two batting Powerplay overs, and finally a Misbah blitz, with 32 runs flowing from the final three overs, which eventually made the difference. 

The chase too nearly had it all: two inspired moments bursting with imagination and skill from Shoaib and Afridi, two failed stumpings, a dropped catch and a late surge from Silva, who woke up too late after a painstaking start.

In the 21st over, Shoaib produced a crafty offcutter, slightly slower and darting in from outside off, to breach the defences of Mahela Jayawardene and leave Sri Lanka stuttering at 95 for 3. In the next, Afridi, who had earlier removed Tillakaratne Dilshan with a skidding delivery, ripped a loopy leg break that dipped rapidly on Thilan Samaraweera, who was sucked out of his crease and left stranded as Kamran Akmal effected a smart stumping. Akmal later missed two leg-side stumping chances to let off Kumar Sangakkara, on 22 and 33, off Abdur Rehman. The first one kicked more than Akmal anticipated and he had no excuse for the second. Rehman, himself, dropped a sitter to reprieve Silva. However, the twin blows had left Sangakkara with too much to do, especially with Silva struggling to get started, and he fell by holing out to long-on. Silva then stirred from his slumber to reduce the equation from 88 from 47 balls to 46 from 24. He slog swept Rehman for two fours and pulled Gul and Shoaib for more boundaries before he was stumped. Kulasekara took over the baton, whipping a 14-ball 24 but the task proved beyond him. 

It was the batting that set up the game for Pakistan, as the Premadasa has always been cruel to the team batting second. Pakistan's innings stood out for its handling of the middle overs. Serenity blew across the ground after the fall of Kamran. Mohammad Hafeez had run himself out after a moment of madness and Kamran, who inexplicably withdrew into his shell after that mix-up, soon combusted, going for an ugly slog against Pakistan's bogeyman Rangana Herath. It wasn't quite a crisis but it definitely needed calm heads. Luckily for Pakistan, you can't find better men than Misbah and Younis to handle these moments. What followed was a perfect advertisement for the much-abused middle overs in an ODI.

Two of the oldest members of the side ran beautifully, worked the angles intelligently, pinged the gaps frequently with the nudge-drive-and-sweep routine, and breathed life into an innings that could have, perhaps otherwise, succumbed to adrenalin rushes. If Misbah pressed back to play Murali, Younis leaned forward to tackle him; if Misbah backed to leg to create room, Younis shuffled to off to work to the leg; if Misbah tapped wide of midwicket for the quick single, Younis nudged just wide of backward point; if Misbah deployed the reverse-sweep, Younis stayed conventional. They always ran well. The runs kept ticking over, the opposition grew increasingly restless, and Pakistan secured ownership of the innings.

What further spiced up this partnership was the knowledge that the powerful lower order was waiting in the dressing room. When Younis fell in the 41st over, with Pakistan on 213 for 4, it even seemed like good news for Pakistan - Afridi and co to follow, unleash violence and 300 would be a formality. Or so it seemed. Here is where Sri Lanka sparkled. Here is when that man Murali and Kulasekara stepped in to do damage control.

While Pakistan's handling of middle overs was a treat to watch, Sri Lanka's skill in the end overs was awe-inspiring. Murali ripped his offbreaks, altering the trajectory, pace, and the extent of turn. Kulasekara punctuated his yorkers with slower cutters to keep Pakistan in check. Murali gave only two runs in the 44th over, the first of the batting Powerplay, and only three in the 46th, which included the wicket of Umar Akmal. Kulasekera gave away just five in the 47th, keeping Afridi quiet with a series of yorkers.

Misbah responded to Murali's magic by growing more innovative. He shuffled to the off and whipped Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews for boundaries as Pakistan collected 32 runs in the last three overs to post a match-winning total. Misbah and Younis' presence in the middle overs had raised a few murmurs before this World Cup but there would be only voices of appreciation after tonight.

Srilanka vs Canada

For the many who slammed the ICC's decision to expel Associates from the next World Cup, this was a bad day. After Kenya were embarrassed by a modest New Zealand team, Canada desperately needed to showcase why minnow teams belong on the global stage. Instead they were overwhelmed by 210 runs against Sri Lanka, who opened their World Cup campaign as emphatically as their co-hosts India did on Saturday.

Mahela Jayawardene stroked his way to the fastest World Cup hundred by a Sri Lankan, sharing a 176-run stand with his captain Kumar Sangakkara, before the home side's pace bowlers rushed through a hapless Canadian line-up to deliver a crushing victory.

After India's fervoured opening in Mirpur, proceedings at Hambantota felt much more leisurely, and with a combination of sight screen problems and a few injuries, it took the visitors four hours to get through their fielding effort. For the first 20 overs of Sri Lanka's innings the scoring rate was almost as sluggish - despite a 59-ball half-century for Tillakaratne Dilshan - as Canada demonstrated the ideal model for Associate cricket. Disciplined dobbers combined with swift fielding and a slowish track to keep Sri Lanka in check.

It was only when Jayawardene arrived that Sri Lanka's campaign really kicked into gear. He was in total control, threading the spinners through the finest gaps and caressing boundaries at will. Sangakkara was not quite as fluent, needing 47 deliveries to find his first boundary. He survived two moments of alarm, when he was dropped on 12 by by 16-year-old Nitish Kumar, on as a substitute, and again on 48 by the rotund legspinner Balaji Rao.

Jayawardene barely mistimed a ball but twice survived reviews from Canada captain Ashish Bagai, who was convinced he was out caught behind. On both occasions the appeal was spontaneous and exuberant but the UDRS - without Snicko and HotSpot - revealed nothing. With those behind him, Jayawardene's glances, chips, pick-up-sweeps and even a reverse-thwack toyed with an attack that faded under pressure.

There was no route back for Canada as the pair cashed in against a tiring attack. It's becoming one of cricket's more quirky stats that Sangakkara can't seem to reach three figures in ODI cricket anymore. His last century was in June 2008 and he has now gone 60 matches without a hundred, despite scoring heavily over the period.

He had the ideal opportunity today, but inexplicably popped a gentle return catch to John Davison when eight runs short. By this stage the only trouble for Jayawardene was the heat and he looked exhausted as he crawled the single to bring up his record-breaking century.

While victory was always going to be beyond them, a competitive showing with the bat would have lifted the spirits of a dank World Cup day but Canada's top order folded against a sparky new-ball pairing. The hulking Thislan Perera proved too quick for John Davison and Zubin Sukari before returning later to snare Bagai. The looming threat of rain forced Sangakkara to swap seam for spin to rush to 20 overs - the minimum needed to constitute a match - but once that threat cleared Sri Lanka's job was as good as done.

At 40, Davison has had plenty of experience but appears to be trading off the World Cup century he made eight years ago. In the build-up Canada were keen to point to the clutch of youngsters who had come through their Under-19s side but come the day Kumar and Hiral Patel - their two bright batting talents - were left out. After today's showing both can expect to make their senior World Cup debuts soon.

Rizwan Cheema offered a glimpse of the big-hitting that gave England a fright but by that stage that game was meandering towards the inevitable. After two matches and two crushing defeats, the Associates are doing the ICC's case no harm at all.

SMART STATS:

• Sri Lanka's 332 is their second highest score in World Cup matches, behind their 398 against Kenya in Kandy in 1996. It is also the second highest score against Canada in World Cups behind New Zealand's 363 in 2007.
• Mahela Jayawardene scored his century off 80 balls, making it the fastest century in World Cups by a Sri Lankan batsman. The previous record was held by Sanath Jayasuriya, who scored his century off 85 balls against Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup.
• With their ninth century partnership, Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara went past the pairing of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, who have eight century stands in ODIs. They are now second only to Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu, who have 14 century partnerships.
• The 179-run partnership between Sangakkara and Jayawardene is the second highest third-wicket partnership for Sri Lanka in World Cup matches.
• Sri Lanka posted their sixth score over 300 in World Cups, which is second only to Australia, who have 13 scores over 300. Three of Sri Lanka's 300-plus scores came in the 2007 World Cup.
• The 210 run victory margin is Sri Lanka's second highest in World Cup matches and the seventh highest overall in World Cup matches.

My Review of All the teams in 2011 World Cup!

Here is a snappy look at all the test playing teams and their chances at the show piece event which is to be held in India, Srilanka and Bangladesh from 19th, February 2011.

Australia:

Australia may have lost the ashes by a huge margin and convincingly, but there one day form is total opposite. They have thrashed England in the recent ODI series and are still the NO1 side according to the ICC Cricket ratings. Australia have been the most successful team in the World Cup as they have played in the final of the last four and won the last three editions of the biggest event of the game. With Shaun Tait and Bret Lee Australia have a dangerous opening bowler pair. Following them up are Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger. Shane Watson is settled and performing well and John Hastings another allrounder. Brad Haddin ever effective with Tim Paine also included. If Ponting and Micheal Hussey get fit and Micheal Clarke, Cameron White, David Hussey in support added Australia have a strong middle order. Their only concern is the spin bowling department which lacks the edge and their first choice bowler Nathan Hauritz is still injured thing don't look any better. Still Australia are favorites to reach the Semi-Final of the 2011 World Cup.

Squad: Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (WK), Ricky Ponting (Captain), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Tim Paine (wk), Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Doug Bollinger.

Bangladesh:

Although Bangladesh whitewashed NewZealand 4-0 and beat Zimbabwe 3-1 in their last two series, they are playing on their home turf, they have not as threatening, but good spin bowling attack with Abdul Razzak, yet it is difficult to see them progressing them to the Quarter Final round of the World Cup. Tamim Iqbal and their captain Shakib-al-Hasan will be the most important players for them and Muhammad Ashraful will have to perform well and consistent if Bangladesh are to make any impact in this competition. Although they are capable to upsetting any good team on their day, the more interesting thing will be to see how they perform against the associate teams.

Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo.

England:

Just before the ODI series with Australia began everyone would have been sure that England are favorites for the World Cup, but things have turned around particularly quickly. Poor performance against Australia and lots of injuries has haunted England badly. They have in Andrew Strauss an inspirational captain but they don't have a settled opening pair. Matt Prior has been included in the team as an opener and was preferred over Steve Davies at the last time. England middle order has to click with the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell they have a few options. Ian Morgan has been s key factor in England's performance in the shorter format and he will be the key. James Andersen, Stuart Broad are the new ball partners and can be dangerous. Their X-Factor along with Ian Morgan will be off spinner Grame Swann who is currently the best spinner in the game.

Squad: Andrew Strauss (Captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (WK), Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

India:

India are considered as out and out favorites for the World Cup and rightly so. Although they lost the ODI series in South Africa but that will not matter much as they have a settled side, They have been the most successful team over the past year, they have the most experienced players, most importantly they have the luxury of playing on their home grounds until the very final match and thier spin department is safe with Harbhajan Singh. Sehwag and Gambhir are the most explosive opening pair. Sachin Tendulkar is in the form of his life. Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli will have to contribute a lot during the middle and latter stages, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will also be a key factor. But the one problem they might have is that they don't have a good bowling partner for Zaheer Khan and also a bowler who can bowl quick and no other specialist spinner of name. yet India are the favorites to reach the finals.

Squad: M.S.Dhoni (Captain & WK), Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, R. Ashwin, P.Chawla, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel.

New Zealand:

They Enter the World Cup with a good reputation in the previous editions but on the worst form ever. They have lost 13 of their last 14 matches, Including a 0-4 whitewash against Bangladesh. They have just changed their coaching staff, batting order and have tried every possible thing so gain some sort of momentum but have failed. Their most important player will be Brenden McCullum depending on how New Zealand use him. Daniel Vettori has been the lone warrior up till now. Martin Guptill has been in good touch but needs to get big scores. Ross Taylor should also step up and stabilize the middle order which falters a lot. Jessey Ryder will have to give New Zealand a good and fast start. The plus point New Zealand have is their abundance of all rounders. Overall there are not much expectations from them this time.

Squad: Daniel Vettori (Captain), James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Nathan McCullum, Brendon McCullum (WK), Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Hamish Bennett, Tim Southee.

Pakistan:

Who would have thought that the Pakistani Cricket team will be considered if not the most, still favorites for the World Cup after all of what has happened in the Past year. They have won their first test series after 4 years and first ODI series after almost 2.5 years recently in New Zealand and have looked in great shape and enthusiasm just before the big event. Call it anything Pakistan have perhaps the most well balanced side for the World Cup. They have the young Ahmed Shehzad and M. Hafeez who will open the innings with Wicket Keeper Kamran Akmal also capable of opening the innings. The middle order is also strong with the likes of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-haq who are the backbone on the team and will have to carry the innings in the middle overs so that Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq who are the most dangerous low middle order can explode at will. Sohail Tanvir will have the variety and in Umar Gull, Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz Pakistan have three bowlers who can bowl around 145mph. The spin attack is also potent with Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal share the load.

Squad: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (WK), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shehzad.

South Africa:

They have perhaps had the most successful build up to the World Cup winning the ODI series Against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India. Their opening pair looks solid with Grame Smith and Hshim Amla who has been the most successful batsman over the past year. The middle order is also in shape with the likes of Kallis who will be a big factor in holding the innings, AB DeVillers who will keep the wickets, JP Duminy and Colin Ingram. Bowling is also strongest with the likes of Dale Steen and Morne Morkel. South Africa have included the Pakistani born leg spinner Imran Tahir in their squad and heve penned their hopes on him for the spin bowling department. Like always South Africa have all the preparations completed and are yet again one of the favorites but the only weak point which actually turns out to haunt them every time is their ability to Choke at important stages. If they overcome that, then hey sure will finish among the top for at least.

Squad: Graeme Smith (Captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (WK), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk (WK).

Srilanka:

They were the first country to announce the team for the World Cup so that the players can jell together and practice, but they did not get much time for that as rain washed away more than half of the test series and the full one day series as well. Srilanka have not included Sanath Jayasuria and Chaminda Vass in their squad yet they are considered one of the favorites mostly because they also will be playing infront of their home crowd. Muthia Muralitharan and Ajhanta Mendis with Rangna Herath make a strong spin bowling attack, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakara provide the experience but Srilanka have a weak lower middle order although they have Angelo Mathews later and Tilkarathne Dilshan as an opener who can explode anytime. Lasith Malinga will have their potent up front. Srilanka will some how have to work hard all through the tournament if they are to win it.

Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain & WK), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.

West Indies:

They have been quiet in their build up to the World Cup. The Inclusion of Ramnaresh Sarawan has strengthened their middle order where Shivnarine Chanderpaul is already present. Chris Gayle will explode at the start with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard providing the flurry in the dying stages of the innings. West Indies although have some good batsman, but have no good fast bowler who is consistent and the only spinner of note is Suleman Benn who has not been that much successful. They can be considered the underdogs who can on their day play like any good team, but their chances of reaching the end stages are remote.

Squad: Darren Sammy (Captain), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Carlton Baugh (WK), Andre Rusell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Adrian Barath.