D-day for Sri Lanka cricket

It will be a D-day for Sri Lanka cricket as our national team confronts the West Indies in the semi finals of ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament in England. On its way to the semis, Sri Lanka had an unblemished record, winning all their first and second round matches.

Sri Lanka beat the Caribbean by 15 runs when the two teams met in the first round at Nottingham. It was at this match that Sri Lanka posted its highest total in the tournament of 192 for 5. Incidentally, it was at the same match that an opposing team registered the highest total in the tournament against Sri Lanka as the West Indies scored 177 for 5.

Hence, Sri Lanka can not take things for granted when they meet the West Indies at Lord's today. It was the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya who blasted the West Indian attack the other day. If the Matara Mauler could let his willow talk loudly once more, then the Lankans will have a distinct advantage.

On their way to the semis, Sri Lanka had several anxious moments including a hard-fought nine-run win over minnows Ireland. Even though the Lankans overcame the Kiwis comfortably at the end, they had a tough time against New Zealand.

Under the circumstances, Sri Lanka will have to come out with some extraordinary performances, if they are two be crowed the Twenty20 World Champions on Sunday. At the time of writing, Pakistan are taking on South Africa in the first semi final. Sri Lanka would definitely prefer to play Pakistan in the final than South Africa.

South Africa has had a better record than Pakistan before the semi finals.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka had beaten Pakistan earlier in the second round. Thus, Sri Lanka would always consider South Africa a tougher final opponent than Pakistan.

A big innings from one of their frontline batsman is a must if Sri Lanka is to gain an upper hand in today's game against the West Indies. This could ideally come from master blaster Jayasuriya who has already exposed all weak links in the Caribbean attack. If Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan could lay a solid foundation, Sri Lanka could look forward to secure a place in Sunday's final.

Dilshan has been in good form, becoming the first batsman in the tournament to complete an aggregate of over 200 runs. He has struck 34 boundaries so far in the tournament - the highest by any batsman and 12 more than his closest rival. Cricket fans everywhere haven't had enough of Dilshan's audacious scoop over the wicketkeeper yet. They are already being treated to a second unconventional shot by a Lankan batsman.

Sri Lanka's success in putting up a healthy total on board would greatly depend on how successful Jayasuriya and Dilshan with their pinch hitting. It was nice to see veteran batsman Mahela Jayawardene regaining his old touch and if he and skipper Kumar Sangakkara could keep the scoreboard moving, the West Indies could have a bitter experience.

Sri Lanka's bowlers must show much more accuracy. They will have to be disciplined, maintaining a tight line and length. Wicket to wicket bowling could make things harder for the opposing side's batsmen. Ajantha Mendis has performed his role well but the same can not be said about experienced Muttiah Muralitharan of whom much is expected at this crucial stage.

Nevertheless, the key to Sri Lanka's success so far in the tournament has been the teamwork, especially the collective effort of their bowlers. Though their batsmen have often failed to put decent totals on the board, Sri Lanka's bowlers have been able to defend those low and modest totals.

Scoring 150 for 7 against Pakistan, 144 for 9 against Ireland and 158 for 5 against New Zealand and still ending on the victorious side proves the exceptional skills of the Lankan bowlers in defending modest totals. It is important that the Lankan bowlers maintain that same rhythm.

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup has taught many lessons to 'big names. The reigning ICC ODI World Champions Australia made an unfortunate first round exit, losing to the West Indies and Sri Lanka. Hosts England suffered a humiliating four-wicket defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in the 'curtain raiser' game. India, of whom much was expected, even failed to make it to the semis.

Of the four semi finalists, only Sri Lanka and South Africa remain unbeaten.

As we have stated before Twenty20 is altogether a different ballgame and Sri Lanka seems to have mastered it better.

Especially, the Lankans have mastered to handle crunch situations well. They showed their maturity and experience by handling pressure situations well. The lady luck too has been smiling too often with Sri Lanka and it will be interesting what they are going to dish out in the final phases of the tournament.

There are two things that have caught the eye of cricket fans in this English summer - Sri Lanka's unorthodox magic and South Africa's discipline and skill. If the two teams advance to the final by any chance, it could well turn out to be the most interesting Twenty20 game in cricket history.

Nevertheless, it is too early to predict anything as none of the semis have been completed at the time of writing.

As I have regularly pointed out, the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup has created a greater awareness across the globe, generating fun and excitement which has caught the eyes of 'non-traditional' cricket fans. That alone is a positive sign for the game.

Twenty20 version could play a greater role in promoting cricket all over the world, especially in Europe and America.