At Perth, January 14. Sri Lanka won by 16 runs. Toss: West Indies.

A fourth straight win would have carried West Indies into the finals; instead, Sri Lanka pulled level again. Kaluwitharana scored another half-century in a breathtaking 55 balls. But Gibson, the least heralded but far and away the most effective of the West Indies pace quartet, took four wickets as Sri Lanka slid from 80 without loss to 92 for five. A final haul of five for 40 gave him 16 wickets in five appearances, a remarkable strike-rate in one-day cricket. Once again, though, West Indies could not find the runs to exploit his work. De Silva had failed with the bat but claimed three critical wickets, including Gibson's, with his part-time spin.

Man of the Match: R. S. Kaluwitharana. Attendance: 9,278.

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