And so it came to pass: England will face England at Edgbaston for the ICC Champions Trophy. Each enjoyed an easy ride through the semis as first South Africa then Sri Lanka batted slowly and feebly, leaving their opponents straightforward run chases.
At a warm, sunny Oval, Jonathan Trott steered the ship home to port with an impressive 82 not out, but it was the bowling of James Tredwell and the ever-dependable Jimmy Anderson who strangled then carved open the South African batting. When Ingram, Amla, De Villiers and Duminy scrape together a mere four runs between them, the Proteas have no chance, and so it proved. They have missed Smith and Kallis although the absence in most games through injury of Steyn and Morne Morkel was probably the more harmful.
I was at Cardiff yesterday for the much-anticipated clash between neighbours and frequent rivals India and Sri Lanka. Fearing the worst, I turned up with brolly, book and newspaper but somehow the dull blanket of cloud never produced any rain once the overnight soaking had cleared this part of South Wales. The game started half an hour late to enable groundstaff to mop up the outfield but, with the floodlights providing welcome brightness and warmth, the weather failed to dampen the occasion.
As at the tournament opener at the same stadium, Indian fans thronged the stands, their cheerful but always polite exuberance creating a memorable atmosphere. It didn't quite match the colour and spectacle of that high-scoring win over South Africa. However, once it became obvious that the Indian seamers had complete mastery over the competition, the crowd settled down to cheer their young team to victory. In the main stand I took pleasure in watching Dharwan, the adored Kohli and new hero Ravi Jadeja respond to the crowd, milking then leading the applause. They felt at home, and their bowler were to respond, too.
To the neutral, it was a mediocre contest. Somehow I expected more of a side boasting Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Kulasekera and Malinga, each of whom had illuminated the competition with superb performances in the previous week or so. OK, so the retirement with a torn calf muscle of Dilshan soon after crashing two consecutive boundaries was a blow. Nevertheless, Sanga was clearly frustrated with his inability to make his strokes against 'Bhuvy' Kumar, Yadav and Ishant Sharma, each of whom frequently beat the bat, caught an edge or made the batsman duck sharply. Even Mahela wasn't his usual twinkle-toed self. The pitch seemed so conducive to seam that MS Dhoni even bowled four overs himself and had appeared to take a wicket with only his second ball, only for the decsion to be overturned on review. Is there anything that man cannot do?! Suresh Raina, meanwhile, helped himself to three successive catches at second slip.
After 20 overs, Sri Lanka were only 47-3 and, while skipper Angelo Mathews finally struck a defiant six on his way to 51, the total of 181 was hardly a strong one. Unless the high-scoring duo of Shikhar Dharwan and Rohit Sharma cold finally slip up, that is. They didn't. Where the Indian seamers had prospered in the heavy conditions, the Sri Lankans failed to dent the confidence of the prolific pair until Rohit charged at Mathews and missed in the 17th over. At that stage they had twice the runs as SL had at the same point in their innings. Dharwan rode his luck at times, with a few dropped catches, but he expressed annoyance with himself for being stumped by centimetres off Mendis for 68. However, there wasn't enough time to secure a third hundred of the tournament. Kohli and Raina stepped up the attack and suddenly it was all over with ninety balls to spare.
The Cardiff/Glamorgan organisers did themselves proud this fortnight. The volunteers, including stewards who earned their keep coping with two pitch invasions in the semi, were magnificent, entering into the spirit while retaining an air of professionalism. And the venue played host to a real mix of matches. All that is left is a final between the two most powerful sides in the competition. India have looked excellent right through the side, but then, apart from that reverse to Sri Lanka, the same could be said of England. Perhaps India have the edge with the bat although in Anderson, the hosts have the best bowler in these oonditions. My prediction: England to take their first 50-over title.
