Sri Lanka’s glittering array of original talents proved too bright for New Zealand in their winning game in the World Twenty20 on Tuesday. At Trent Bridge, the spin pairing of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis inspired Sri Lanka to victory by 48 runs and ensured their qualification for the semi-finals.
Chasing a target of 159, New Zealand’s batsmen played the slow bowlers with puzzled expressions, slumping to 110 all out in 17 overs as Mendis took three for nine from three overs and Muralitharan conceded only 18 runs from his four overs. Sri Lanka will play West Indies in the second semi-final, at the Brit Oval on Friday.
There was innovation, too, in Sri Lanka’s batting. Mahela Jayawardena twice used the back of his bat to play the reverse sweep off Jacob Oram and Tillekeratne Dilshan made 48 to become the tournament’s leading run-scorer, with 221 from five innings.
South Africa will play Pakistan in the first semi-final, at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
