Yes, as expected, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand to march to the final. However, that takes nothing away from the spirited Kiwis who have outgrown the odds to reach where they eventually did in this world cup.
Once again, New Zealand batted sensibly and very much within their limits. They were not aiming too high as the inning kicked off. Their inning demanded steadiness and they had to bat out fifty overs. Apart from the shaky end, where at one point they lost 4 wickets for 4 runs, steadiness was maintained throughout the innings although the run rate looked to be an issue. But that's the best the Kiwis could manage playing in Colombo against a spin-studded Sri Lankan attack. Nobody had given them a chance, just as nobody did when they played South Africa. They won that one but lost this. To me, this one looked much tougher for them than any other game they have played in the tournament and the reason for that is spin. Had they played Sri Lanka in Auckland or Perth it might have been a different story altogether.
New Zealand are a better fielding side than a batting side but defending 207 was always going to be difficult. Continuing his form from the previous game, Dilshan got off to a flier and scored a match-winning 73. Tharanga and Sangakara played well too. There was a little bit of panic in the Lankan camp when these three and Jaywardhane had gotten out and their untested middle-order was suddenly exposed to the hugeness of the event. Yet, in the end they sailed through and won by 5 wickets.
Sri Lanka have booked their ticket to the city of dreams - Mumbai - and the Kiwis will have to go home with a lot of respect and with memories of some great fights they have put on show in this world cup to finish among the top four.
Man of The Match: Kumar Sangakara
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