CricInfo Home
News Home

NEWS FOCUS
Rsa in Pak
NZ in India
Zim in Aus

Domestic
Other Series

World champs fight back from brink to enter final

Hyderabad (India), May 20: World champions Sri Lanka fought back from the brink to enter the Independence Cup final with a 52-run victory over New Zealand here on Tuesday.

The SriLankans, shot out for a meagre 214 on a dual-paced wicket, hit back through their four-pronged spin attack to stop the flat- footed Kiwis at 162. Aravinda De Silva, Muttiah Murlitharan, Kumara Dharmasena and Sanath Jayasuriya claimed two wickets each as New Zealand wilted under both the energy-sapping heat and intense pressure applied by the SriLankans.

Matthew Horne made 41 but found little support at the other end as six batsmen failed to reach double figures. Sri Lanka will meet the winners of Wednesday's match between arch-ri- vals India and Pakistan in the best-of-three finals starting at Mohali on Saturday.

``We threw it away,'' remarked New Zealand's Australian coach Steve Rixon. ``A common sense approach was needed to chase the small target, but the batsmen just did not apply themselves. Another Aus- tralian Bruce Yardley, who coaches the Sri- Lankans, complimented his bowlers for sticking to their task. ``I thought we fell about 30 runs short on this difficult wicket, but we made up in the field with some champion cricket.''

SriLankan wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana won the man of the match award for a top score of 44 besides two catches and two stump- ings. Kiwi openers Nathan Astle and Bryan Young put on 29 before be- ing dismissed in the space of six balls. Horne and skipper Stephen Fleming (24) retrieved the situation with a 66-run stand for the third wicket, but fell to spin in quick succession to make New Zealand 103 for four in 29 overs.

Another two wickets in successive overs reduced the Kiwis to 120 for six and the SriLankans pressed home the advantage to romp home in the 45th over despite a defiant unbeaten 26 by Chris Harris. The defeat marred an outstanding debut by New Zealand's young left-arm seamer Shayne O'Connor after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.

The 22-year-old had Jayasuriya caught at fine leg in his sec- ond over, before bowling master batsman Aravinda De Silva in his fourth to reduce Sri Lanka to 23 for two in the seventh over. O'Connor also claimed the vital wicket of Roshan Mahanama in his second spell to finish with 3-44. Gavin Larsen chipped in with 3-43. Sri Lanka were struggling at 126 for five before Ma- hanama (41) and Kaluwitha- rana prevented a total collapse by adding 47 for the sixth wicket. Kaluwitharana, demoted in the order after making just 14 in his last seven innings, top- scored with a brisk 44 off 36 balls to car- ry the world champi- ons past the 200-run mark.

New Zealand, who blooded newcomers O'Connor and Craig McMillan in place of seamers Heath Davis and Andrew Penn, unsettled the SriLankans by giving off-spinner Dipak Patel the new ball. Pa- tel, who first opened the bowling in the 1992 World Cup, bowled 10 steady overs on the trot for 37 runs and kept the Sri- Lankans down to 82 for three from the first 20. Marvan Atapat- tu, promoted as opener in place of Kaluwitharana, made 41 before Nathan Astle ran him out with a direct throw from point.