Sri Lanka overpower New Zealand to secure place in final

Sri Lanka booked themselves a guaranteed berth in the final of the Coca Cola Cup with an overwhelming 106-run victory over New Zealand at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo today.

Their authoritative display also keeps India's hopes of qualification alive. If India win their final two games, they will qualify for the final. If they slip up against Sri Lanka tomorrow though, New Zealand will qualify by virtue of having already beaten them twice.

Sri Lanka owed their victory to their best batting performance of the tournament. The middle order finally kicked into life and the home team rattled up an imposing 221 in 36 overs on by far the best batting pitch of the tournament.

The New Zealand run chase then started disastrously as man of the match Chaminda Vaas plucked out three wickets and Dilhara Fernando bowed a fiery new ball spell. The Clear Black Caps slumped to 18 for five within the first eight overs and never stood a chance thereafter, eventually finishing on 115 for nine.

Stephen Fleming, back in the side after stomach trouble, had won the toss after morning drizzle and elected to field first on a wicket which traditionally offers the faster bowlers some assistance in the morning, but statistically still favours the side batting first.

Avishka Guawardene (38) - pulled into the side at the last moment, after 14 overs had been lopped off the innings - opened with Sanath Jayasuriya (20) and the pair set the tone for the innings by adding 32 runs at nearly a run a ball.

That pace was maintained thereafter despite the loss of Jayasuriya in the sixth over. Romesh Kaluwitharana joined Gunawardene and the pair added 57 runs for the second wicket before Kaluwitharana was athletically run out by Jacob Oram at backward point.

Gunawardene followed four overs later, but the momentum was continued by Marvan Atapattu (34) and Mahela Jayawardene (58) in a 56-run stand. Jayawardene, batting on his club ground, immediately looked more at ease than he had in the previous four games. He batted fluently and hit two majestic straight sixes in his 46-ball half-century.

With support at the death by Russel Arnold (22*) the pair took the game out of New Zealand's reach by scoring 96 runs in the final 11 overs.

After a shortened luncheon interval, which gave them hardly enough time to put on their pads, let alone have a bite to eat, Matthew Sinclair (1) and Nathan Astle (4) were on the back foot as Chaminda Vaas bowled his best spell of the series.

Curving the ball into the right-handers he trapped Sinclair leg before in his second over and then induced an indifferent prod from Oram (0), who was then well caught at slip by Arnold for a second ball duck.

Fleming (6) then tried to weather the testing new ball bursts of Vaas and Fernando. Whilst Vaas probed intelligently away, Fernando hurried both the batsmen, jagging the ball off the seam.

Fleming's resistance ended in the seventh over as he carved a catch to second slip. Craig McMillan followed in the next over, carelessly run out by a direct hit from Jayawardene, and Nathan Astle ensured that New Zealand had no chance when he was immediately snapped up in the slips.

New Zealand batted out the rest of the innings, anxious that their net run rate not be decimated by such a comprehensive defeat. With relief they passed their record lowest score of 64 against West Indies in 1986, but they only limped to the hundred mark after some biffs by last man Darryl Tuffey (20*).

New Zealand will no doubt watch tomorrow's crucial encounter with greater interest and will be hoping that Sri Lanka make a better fight of it than they did last Sunday when the lost by six wickets to India.