ICC World Cup 1st Semi-Final: Sri Lanka v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754- Expert Analysis
Sri Lanka outclassed the Black Caps in the first semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup, 2011 at Colombo to qualify for the final of the elite tournament for the second consecutive time. The Islanders will now take on either Pakistan or India in the final
on April 2; this will be the first time in the history of World Cup cricket that two Asian teams will meet in the final.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori expressed some concerns about the quality of the pitch prepared for the important fixture before the match but he would have felt much better after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Sri Lankan bowlers were right on target from the word go as they never allowed the Kiwis to run away with the show, even though Ross http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 and Scott Styris looked threatening for a brief period of time.
Spearhead of the Islanders bowling lineup Lasith Malinga was a touch expensive today but he did pick up three crucial wickets to halt the Kiwi progress. He has proved once again that he is right up there with the best fast bowlers in the world, especially
with the old ball when he is able to get some reverse swing.
It was an important match for Sri Lanka for more reasons than one, as their legendary off-spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Muttiah-Muralitharan-c78157 was playing his last international game on his home soil. He has been a great servant of Sri Lankan cricket and has carried the burden
of his country’s bowling for almost a couple of decades now. Murali is hugely responsible in making his team a force to reckon with in international cricket.
There is no doubt about the class of the Sri Lankan top order but their lower-middle order remains a concern for them as it has failed to fire in the tournament. The home team were cruising towards victory at one stage with only 48 more runs to win before
the middle order collapsed yet again to give a sniff to the Black Caps.
Kumar Sangakkara and company would have to do something about their late order batting if they are to beat http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 as they have a much stronger bowling lineup as compared to the Kiwis.
New Zealand on the other had a great chance to make it to the final of the showpiece event for the first time in their sixth effort. However, their batsmen let them down and failed to make the best of this opportunity.
Ross Taylor is by far the best Kiwi batsman and he was off to an impressive start before he stroked one straight to deep mid-wicket. Same was the case with all the top order batsmen as they failed to convert their starts into a big knock, which was required
in such a big game like this.
However the Kiwis fought hard in the field and credit goes to them for making a fight out of it and keeping the Sri Lankans on their toes till the last run was scored.
This is a great achievement by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 as they have qualified for the final of the World Cup for the third time in last 15 years.
Sangakkara and his troops would love to lift the most prestigious trophy of international cricket. However, the two other Asian teams are also looking equally hungry to be crowned as the World Champions.
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