Match report: Sri Lanka puts one foot in semis with win

Source: Associated Press

• Sri Lanka 130/1 (Jayawardene 65*, Sangakkara 39*) defeated West Indies 129/5 (Samuels 50, Bravo 40)

Summary:

A stifling performance by Sri Lanka's bowlers has all but assured the hosts a place in the semi-finals of the 2012 T20 World Cup. A varied attack of off and leg spin coupled with the cunning of pace bowlers Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasakera restricted the powerful West Indian batting line up to just 129 despite taking only five wickets. That set the scene for an easy run chase, the lowest at the Pallekele ground, spearheaded by veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who reached the total with 28 balls to spare.

Containment strategy:

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene got a great read of the local conditions and used them to keep the West Indian line up off-guard. He regularly rotated his bowlers, often giving them just one over at a time to prevent batsmen adjusting to each bowler. His bowlers backed up his plan with a wide array of spinning deliveries, slower balls and yorkers to keep the West Indian batsmen in check. A victory for guile over strength.

Who's hot:

Sri Lanka: Aside from the bowling unit, which fired as a group, the Sri Lankan's were excellent in the field - something they are not always noted for. Tillakaratne Dilshan set the tone with a diving effort off the first ball of the game, and the Sri Lankan team did not let up from there.

West Indies: Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo provided the bulk of the runs for the West Indies but even they were handcuffed by the Sri Lankan bowlers and scored too slowly to threaten t take the game away from Sri Lanka.

What it means:

Sri Lanka: Virtually booked their place in Colombo for the semi-finals with two wins from their first two Super Eight matches. The hosts seem to building their form to peak at the right end of the tournament.

West Indies: Not disastrous for the West Indies, as they won their first Super Eights game, but will want to win their final match to be the best chance of making the semis. The form of their big-name players is a worry.

The Votes:

MVP: 3- M Jayawardene (Good game with bat and as captain), 2- A Mendis (suffocating 2/12 with the ball), 1- M Samuels (half-century and best of the West Indian players)

Tucker Trophy: 1- F Edwards (Only bowler hit out of the attack), 2- C Gayle (Set the tone for the West Indies, unable to handle Sri Lankan attack), 3- K Pollard (Dreadfully quiet so far this tournament)