Sangakkara banks on team unity

They are both called island teams but the similarity ends with the terminology. While the West Indies as we know it is a collection of disparate countries coming together largely for cricketing purposes, Sri Lanka is one nation. A collection of diverse ethnicities and faiths, yes - Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim - but one unit with allegiance to one flag. It's that sense of unity that has helped Sri Lanka's cricketers cope with terrorism - whether at home, in the 25-year civil war, or latterly in Lahore when the cricketers themselves came under attack.

"Our side has, from the very inception, been one unit," Kumar Sangakkara, the captain, said at The Oval, after an elaborate training session ahead of Friday's semi-final. The main reason his team was able to bond in the aftermath of Lahore, he said, was because the players had been a virtual family from their boyhood days. That close proximity helped ease the pain and recover easily. "We've played cricket with and against each other since we were 12 or 13 years old. Everyone lives in and around Colombo and we see each other almost every single day so it is easy for us to travel and bond."

Sangakkara said the advantage was that they backed each other and trusted every single player to do the job on the given day. "The greatest plus for us in the dressing room is we don't have egos."

It's easy to believe him. Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara himself - the most experienced players - have been able to transform their game and compete well along the youngsters in the side.

"We have amazing players who are absolutely lovely guys, keen on playing good cricket. That has helped the team grow," Sangakkara said. According to him, the newcomers didn't find it hard to find their feet due to the cordial atmosphere in the dressing room. "When new players come in, they like the environment. There is no added pressure on them, just an acceptance and a great deal of respect for the fact that they are good enough."

Despite having two bowlers in the top five of the wicket-takers' list in the tournament - Lasith Malinga (at No. 3 with 11 wickets) and Ajantha Mendis (No. 4 with 10) - Sri Lanka will be wary of Chris Gayle and his band, who have already played three games including one warm-up at their favourite hunting ground - the venue of their 2004 Champions Trophy victory.

In contrast, this would be Sri Lanka's first game in the tournament at The Oval but Sangakkara was not worried. "We should try and make sure we play to our strengths and pick our best side," he said. "We have played one-day cricket before and it is a pretty even track with good bounce and will stay consistent throughout."

Sri Lanka will bank on their lethal spin combination of Muralitharan and Mendis along with the swinging skills of Malinga to give them the upper hand. "If our spinners can get some bounce out of the track, that will be more effective and the batsmen may find it difficult to hit hard as the extra bounce," Sangakkara said.

West Indies will no doubt rely on the depth in the batting order packed with power hitters, but Sangakkara said the presence of a matchwinner like Mendis makes the contest even. The unpredictability of Mendis' finger spin has bamboozled some of the world's best batsmen and Sangakkara said it would be a dangerous weapon,. "He would be. Right? He would be on the top of my bowling list always."