On a day when the fortunes of both teams fluctuated so dramatically that one never knew who had the upper hand from one bowling spell to the next, Sri Lanka came to the World Cup in a big way.

The experience of Aravinda de Silva and the stubbornness of Marvan Atapattu stood out. Experience is something that cannot be bought or gained in any way other than going through the process of hard knocks and learning along the way.

The South Africans will have arrived at Willowmore Park feeling really upbeat. A clean sweep was in the offing, but they never bargained on the will of the Sri Lankan players. Early wickets set them behind and once again Kallis had to step up to the plate and rescue the situation. He found some help in Pollock and then a rampant Klusener. With 250 on the board no one really believed that with the attack at Pollock's disposal, the challenge was going to be met. What a huge mistake!

The obvious lesson to both sides was that if someone at the top of the order gets in, and then goes on through to the end, the chances of the team winning are increased dramatically. Absorbing early pressure and then setting up the innings was something the Sri Lankans weren't able to do in the previous encounters. They will certainly know it now.

From a cricketing point of view, this win by Sri Lanka has certainly breathed new life into the entire series as well as given the Proteas a real kick in the butt just when everything seemed to be on track. From now on, each match will be played as a final. That cannot be a bad thing for cricket!

© Viva Cricket