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Bravo Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's elegant passage to the World Cup final of April 28 demonstrates that talent, intelligent tactics, physical fitness, mental strength, and self-belief have combined to transform it into a world-beating force in One Day Internationals. The Lankans arrived in the Caribbean after losing a series in India and, as the tournament progressed, they raised their level. Pitched against the tactical nous of Stephen Fleming, Mahela Jayawardene was just magnificent. His master class in pacing a one-day innings yielded 115 of the finest, a stroke-filled gem that should rank alongside Ricky Ponting's 140 against India in the 2003 final and Vivian Richards' undefeated 138 in the 1979 final against England. Significant as Mahela's innings was, the key to Lanka's entry into its second Cup final has been teamwork. If the batting has stood up to serious examination, the bowling — featuring that unorthodox genius of off-spin, Muttiah Muralitharan, and pacemen Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga — has been outstanding. The fielding too has been up there with the best.

Eleven years ago, the Arjuna Ranatunga-led Lankans were surprise winners. But Jayawardene's side — rich in talent and thin on hype — has all along been seen in this tournament as a serious contender. A harmony in team composition has been reached. Every player has put his hand up at some stage and adequately compensated for another's failure. When Jayasuriya and Sangakkara fall, Tharanga and Jayawardene come to the party; and vice versa. Vaas and Malinga are quite a handful under conditions that favour swing and bounce. Muralitharan, Test cricket's second leading wicket-taker, almost always delivers on any surface and, on the rare occasion he doesn't, the captain can turn confidently to Jayasuriya or Dilshan. Coach Tom Moody has instilled an admirable sense of discipline without dispensing with the flair and joie de vivre that have come to be associated with Sri Lankan cricket. Cricketers from the island nation delight in artistry, in suppleness of wrist, in deception (there is no ball more feared in international cricket than Murali's doosra). But what makes this team a winning force is the professionalism and focus that have been on display over the past five weeks. Mahela has led by example. His 2007 World Cup tally currently stands at 529 runs, second only to Matthew Hayden's 580. After the early exits of India and Pakistan, Sri Lanka has managed to keep interest alive in the sub-continent. Peaking in the final will see it accomplish a feat — two World Cup triumphs — that only the West Indies (1975, 1979) and Australia (1987, 1999, 2003) have managed to pull off.

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