THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOHALI, India — Sri Lanka’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first semifinal has ensured one of the subcontinental cricket superpowers will win the World Cup.
Half centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan (73) and Kumar Sangakkara (54) helped the Sri Lankans secure a spot in Saturday’s final against either India or Pakistan.
Legendary offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan chipped in, taking a wicket with his final delivery on home soil as New Zealand was dismissed for 217.
After a middle-order wobble, Sri Lanka finished 220 for five with two overs to spare.
Archrivals India and Pakistan meet Wednesday in the border state of Punjab in a semifinal that has all the makings of an epic encounter.
The prime ministers of both countries will be in Mohali for the match, ending a diplomatic stalemate that has existed since the terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008, which India blames on Pakistan-based militants.
Thousands of police, paramilitary and commandos have been deployed in and around Mohali to ensure security. There’s no hotel vacancies in or around the venue and tickets have been sold out for a week, with reports of resellers asking for more than 100 times the face value on the black market.
The Pakistan government has decreed an official half day, meaning workplaces will close down at noon so everyone can watch the match which is expected to have a global TV audience exceeding 1 billion.
Sangakkara’s Sri Lankans will be among those watching, able to relax at home before heading to Mumbai, the financial and entertainment hub of India.
The 38-year-old Muralitharan, who is aiming to be the first Sri Lankan to win two World Cup titles, will get some deserved time off to rest his hamstring and thigh injuries. He was part of the Sri Lankan team that upset cricket’s world order by winning the 1996 final over Australia at Lahore, Pakistan, in the last tournament staged in Asia.
The world’s leading wicket-taker picked up 2-42 against the New Zealanders, who lost a World Cup semifinal for the sixth time. The Kiwis have never reached the final.
"We scrapped pretty hard and gave ourselves a chance, but we just missed out," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. "The top order really set it up. We needed to be better."
Dilshan is the leading scorer in the tournament and has contributed heavily to Sri Lanka’s winning run, including an unbeaten century in the 10-wicket quarterfinal victory over England.
In fact, the top three Sri Lankan batsmen are among the five leading runscorers in the tournament, which exposes a minor problem for Sri Lanka. The middle order has had so little time on the pitch that a wobble on Tuesday, when Sri Lanka lost four wickets for 25 runs, suddenly made the semifinal more interesting.
But Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews calmly combined to guide the co-hosts home as fireworks erupted over Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium.
Sangakkara said Sri Lanka would take the positives out of a tough match against New Zealand.
"The pressure was building a bit, we lost quick wickets," he said. But, "It’s Murali’s last game. Everyone was pumped to make sure we gave him a good send off from Sri Lanka."
Sangakkara praised Muralitharan for his contribution to Sri Lanka over almost two decades.
"He’s THE icon of Sri Lanka," Sangakkara said, "as a champion on the field, and off the field. As a human being and a cricketer.
"He’s the ultimate team man. You can’t ask for anything more."
Sangakkara said the Sri Lankans, who lost heavily to Australia in the final of the last edition in the Caribbean, would be more focused on the Mumbai decider.
"We’ve just qualified for the final," he said. "We need to make sure we work hard in the next two days and be fresh and hungry for the final."