March 29, 2011Sri Lanka 220 - 5 beat
New Zealand 217 by five
wickets at the
ICC Cricket
World Cup 2011 semi-final, held in Colombo on March 29, 2011.
Sri Lanka reached the World Cup final after
holding their nerve to beat a spirited New Zealand by five wickets. The Black Caps looked set for a competitive score in Colombo, but they collapsed from 192 - 4 to 217 all out.
Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) and Kumar Sangakkara (54) sent
Sri Lanka charging towards victory before a flurry of wickets brought the match to life.
But Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews kept their cool to see the hosts home with 13 balls to spare.
Sri Lanka, the 1996
winners and 2007 finalists, will face the winner of
Wednesday’s showdown between India and Pakistan in Saturday’s final in Mumbai.
And although they will be leaving the comfort of home soil, Sangakkara’s men will go into the
showpiece in confident mood, and all the better
for having had their
mettle tested by the
ever-gutsy Kiwis.
When Chamara Silva was dismissed to leave the co-hosts 185 - 5
in the 43rd over, their
score was almost
identical to New Zealand’s at the same point in their innings. Composed batting from Samaraweera (23) and some big-hitting from Mathews (14) defused the tension and saw the hosts over the line.
The victory also ensured that Muttiah Muralitharan will bow out of
international cricket on the biggest stage of all, after the spinner marked his farewell appearance on Sri Lankan soil with the wicket of Scott Styris for 57 from the final ball of his spell.
Sangakkara was
awarded ‘Man of the Match’ for his performance and captaincy.
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