So it's Sri Lanka to meet India in Cardiff on Thursday. Just for once, my prediction was right. However, there was a period when, having blown their chance of winning quickly enough to qualify, Australia's final pair seemed to be coasting to an unlikely victory to spoil the Sri Lankans' party. The team's over-exuberant appealing can be really annoying, but they know how to celebrate and so do their fans who filled The Oval today.
It may have been Dilshan's brilliant caught-and-bowled which clinched the win by just twenty runs but it was the earlier contribution from Mahela Jayawardene which deservedly won him the Man of the Match award. One of my favourite players of modern times, Mahela just oozes class when he gets going. Sangakkara may have failed this time but his veteran team-mate compensated with a run-a-ball 84 featuring eleven sparkling boundaries. Xavier Doherty did well to quieten things down mid-innings but Sri Lanka passed 250 to leave the Aussies knowing a rapid start was necessary. A simple win would not be enough to progress; they had to do it within 29 overs or so to improve their net run rate sufficiently to overtake New Zealand.
George Bailey set the standard early on but wickets fell and the Voges/Marsh partnership was too slow. Thereafter it became a matter of pride for the Aussies, although Black Cap players and supporters found themselves in the unusual situation of cheering for their neighbours and rivals. So Sri Lanka advance having beaten both England and Australia, while the latter, badly missing Michael Clarke, are heading home. Maybe there'll be a few last-minute temporary contacts being signed on the county circuit instead!?
I said an England-India clash would be the organisers' dream final and that must be the most likely outcome. When even Alastair Cook strikes two sixes in a limited over match, you kinda feel it's meant to be. However, in yesterday's rain-shortened game against New Zealand, it was the suite of bowlers who produced the decisive performance. That and the fielding. While Nathan McCullum at first seemed unable to pull off even the most basic of catches (forget the ball-tampering, was Nathan in the pay of Cook?!!) - the home team looked the keener outfit. Perhaps NZ were putting too much hope in the Cardiff clouds to deliver the pre- 20 over abandonment they needed. However, Broad, Anderson, Bresnan and even Bopara bowled pretty tightly and the field placements were spot on.
The weather forecast looks OK for the England-SA fixture and if AB, Amla and Steyn are firing on all cylinders, the home squad will have their work cut out to reach another final. The Thursday prognosis is not so good for Cardiff. A washout will see India through because they won their group. If an abbreviated game takes place, it could be anybody's match and Messrs Duckworth Lewis may be heavily involved in deciding the result. Nevertheless, I look forward to the opportunity of witnessing a game whose outcome owes more to Dhoni, Dilshan or Dhawan than downpours. It's what the sell-out crowd deserves.
