The Hindu : Sport : No surprises in semifinal line-up

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Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007
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No surprises in semifinal line-up

Fleming will have to be courageous if he wins the toss, writes VIVIAN RICHARDS

IN GREAT NICK: Sanath Jayasuriya has run into form at the right time and his duel with Shane Bond is greatly anticipated. — Photo: AP

It now boils down to the last three matches, and whoever wins on April 28 will take fond memories of the tournament back from the Caribbean.

The semifinal line-up actually holds no surprises.

Even though Australia came into the tournament with a five-loss streak, everybody knew they would make it this far. New Zealand and South Africa, too, were expected to qualify because they have been winning pretty consistently over the last six months.

For me, Sri Lanka too was a top contender because they have what is possibly the most varied attack in the tournament. I thought West Indies did have a couple of opportunities, but sadly, they just completely went out of rhythm and could only win one of their Super Eight games.

Even match

On Tuesday, the match should be pretty even; and I don't think either team holds an edge. During the preliminary stage, the Pakistan-Ireland game was played on a slightly dodgy track, and I hope the strip that the teams will play on Tuesday has no devils. Both sides have quality pacers as well as spinners, but for the sake of the crowd, I hope it's a game that does not see totals under 175.

I am really impressed with the development of the Sri Lankan team. There were always plenty of talented individuals in the side, but they look like a cohesive unit these days, and it's good to see that even while seniors Sanath Jayasuriya and Muthiah Muralitharan have been in great form, the next generation, comprising the likes of Chamara Silva, Lasith Malinga and Upul Tharanga have started making significant contributions. The fielding is also top-quality, and their body language is positive even when things are not going their way.

Even though they lost their first game against South Africa by a whisker, the Sri Lankans seem to have learnt a lot from that game, which has held them in good stead throughout the rest of the tournament.

It gave them the never-say-die spirit to confront a similar situation against England, and whenever they were in precarious situations, someone or the other has stepped up to bail them out.

The New Zealand team are an efficient side and they have been winning too often to be considered the dark horses. They have a number of match-winners like Shane Bond, Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum and cannot be considered underdogs.

Though New Zealand lost the last time the two teams met in the Super Eight stage, they would be aware that the conditions in Jamaica would be vastly different. I do not think New Zealand will attach too much importance to that reversal.

The key

For me, the key to the game will be the Shane Bond-Jayasuriya encounter as well as the performance of the New Zealand batsmen against Muralitharan. Fleming will have to be courageous if he wins the toss. His team prefers to chase and he backs his boys to overhaul 300-plus totals.

He might be concerned about batting second against Muralitharan, but I still think that he should back his batsmen and opt to bat second if he calls right.

Gameplan

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