Sri Lanka reached the World Cup final with a five-wicket win against New Zealand on Tuesday as veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said goodbye to his home crowd. Sri Lanka, set a modest 218 to win, wobbled in the middle before reaching their target in 47.5 overs with Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) and skipper Kumar Sangakkara (54) setting the foundation at a packed R. Premadasa stadium.
Muralitharan took his 534th wicket off his last ball on home soil as New Zealand were bowled out for a below-par score of 217 in 48.5 overs. Muralitharan, who last year retired from Tests after finishing as the highest wicket-taker with 800, now aims to win his second title - after being part of the 1996 Cup winning squad - in Saturday's final in Mumbai.
Sri Lanka, cruising along at 160-1, lost four wickets in the space of 25 runs to raise fears of an unlikely defeat before Thilan Samaraweera (23 not out) and Angelo Mathews (14 not out) guided them home with an unbroken 35-run stand. The victory took Sri Lanka into their second successive World Cup final, after finishing runners-up to Australia in 2007, as a capacity 35,000 celebrated with firecrackers.
New Zealand, who for the sixth time failed in a World Cup semi-final, seemed to be succumbing like England did during their 10-wicket quarter-final defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, but they staged a brave rearguard action. It was 34-year-old Dilshan who was once again in rampaging mood, taking the co-hosts to 40 by the eighth over in the company of Upul Tharanga who fell after scoring a 31-ball 30 with four boundaries and a six.
Dilshan then found an equally aggressive and in-form partner in captain Sangakkara as they added 120 for the second wicket, before Dilshan played straight into the hands of Jesse Ryder off Tim Southee. Dilshan hit 10 boundaries and a six during his 93-ball knock. Sri Lanka then lost Mahela Jayawardene (one) and Sangakkara in the space of eight runs and then Chamara Silva (13) before the team held their nerve.
Dilshan also became the top run-getter of the tournament with 467. It was Ajantha Mendis (3-35) and Lasith Malinga (3-55), along with Muralitharan (2-42), who kept New Zealand under control after Daniel Vettori won the toss and opted to bat. Scott Styris, who top scored with 57, added 77 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor (36) but the Sri Lankan bowlers never allowed them to run away with a big total, dismissing the Kiwis in 48.5 overs.
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Scoreboard New Zealand:
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M. Guptill b Malinga 39
B. McCullum b Herath 13
J. Ryder c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 19
R. Taylor c Tharanga b Mendis 36
S. Styris lbw b Muralitharan 57
K. Williamson lbw b Malinga 22
N. McCullum c Sangakkara b Malinga 9
J. Oram c Jayawardene b Dilshan 7
D. Vettori not out 3
T. Southee c Sangakkara b Mendis 0
A. McKay b Mendis 0
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Extras: (lb5, nb1, w6) 12
Total: (all out; 48.5 overs) 217
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Fall of wickets: 1-32 (B. McCullum), 2-69 (Ryder), 3-84 (Guptill), 4-161 (Taylor), 5-192 (Williamson), 6-204 (N. McCullum), 7-213 (Styris), 8-215 (Oram), 9-217 (Southee), 10-217 (McKay)
Bowling: Malinga 9-0-55-3 (nb1), Herath 9-1-31-1 (w1), Mathews 6-0-27-0, Mendis 9.5-0-35-3, Muralitharan 10-1-42-2 (w2), Dilshan 5-0-22-1 (w3)
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Sri Lanka
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U. Tharanga c Ryder b Southee 30
T. Dilshan c Ryder b Southee 73
K. Sangakkara c Styris b McKay 54
M. Jayawardene lbw b Vettori 1
T. Samaraweera not out 23
C. Silva b Southee 13
A. Mathews not out 14
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Extras: (lb2, w10) 12
Total: (for five wkts; 47.5 overs) 220
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Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Tharanga), 2-160 (Dilshan), 3-161 (Jayawardene), 4-169 (Sangakkara), 5-185 (Silva)
Bowling: N. McCullum 6-0-33-0 (w1), Southee 10-2-57-3 (w3), Vettori 10-0-36-1, Oram 8-1-29-0, McKay 9.5-1-37-1 (w6), Styris 2-0-12-0, Ryder 2-0-14-0
Result: Sri Lanka won by five wickets
Toss: New Zealand
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
Tv umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG).
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