Sri Lanka failed to reach the Semi Finals of the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa, as they lost to Australia in the crucial match held between the two teams.
In the virtual quarter final between the ODI World Cup finalists, Australia and Sri Lanka, winning the toss, Stand-in-Captain of the Australian side, Adam Gilchrist, invited Mahela Jayawardene’s team to bat first. Sri Lanka could not have a worst start, with Sanath Jayasuriya being trapped leg before by Brett Lee in just the third ball of the first over. The other opener, Upul Tharanga followed suit. Kumar Sangakkara, who had a rather disappointing tournament, sticked around to hit 22 off 23 balls. Jayawardene too was caught by Clark off a Lee delivery. Jehan Mubarak, the top scorer for Sri Lanka, who hit 28 off 26 balls, and Chaminda Vaas, who managed to get 21, helped the score go past 100. But, the Sri Lankans who had a terrible day, were all out for 101.
In reply, the Aussies reached the target in just 10.2 overs, as Matthew Hayden top scored with 58.
Stuart Clarke, who had an amazing day with the ball, took 4-20.
From start to end, Sri Lanka were never on the game. After the batting collapsed, like a pack of cards, there was nothing, their bowlers could do. And, thus, they head home after loosing two matches, one to Pakistan and the other to Australia in the Super Eights.
Although it was a terrible show by the Sri Lankans today, they had a commendable run in this Twenty20 World Cup, which was a rather new experience for everyone, and that too even without their premier bowler, Muttiah Muralitharan.
Dilhara Fernando’s consistent fantastic performance as a fast bowler and youngster, Jehan Mubarak’s form are two positives, that the Sri Lanka will be definitely happy about.
It is no wonder to anyone that, Sanath Jayasuriya has been an amazing player for Sri Lanka for almost 18 years. In fact, he is a rare gem, that any team would wish to have. But, either we like it or not, one day he will have to retire from the game. And, that day, not only him, but everyone else can only be delighted, if, a youngster has been groomed to continue, from where he left. Even though it is undoubtedly hard to find a player of such caliber, there are many talented youngsters in the domestic circuit. If Sri Lanka is to have a future, these youngsters need to be given opportunities, as well as facilities to develop in to World Class Cricketers. That would be the easiest, and the quickest path to find New Jayasuriya’s, De Silva’s, Atapattu’s and even Sangakkara’s and Jayawardene’s.
Batting under lights, the Sri Lankan top order struggled against the Bangladeshi spinners. Sanath Jayasuriya fell in the very first over to a Mashrafe Mortaza delivery. Upul Tharanga managed to find the rope, a couple of times, but Kumar Sangakkara, who did not have a very good time with the bat, all thoroughout the tournament, failed again. Surprisingly Captain Mahela Jayawardene, too, did not have a very pleasing day with the bat. Finally, it was the unbeaten partnership between Tillekeratne Dilshan and Jehan Mubarak, that lifted the total to a formidable, 147. Mubarak top scored with 31 off 19 balls.
reach, it was not to be with the Sri Lankan bowling attack. Experienced seamer, Chaminda Vaas removed Nazim Uddin in the very first over. Dilhara Fernando’s first over went for 15 runs, with three boundaries by Aftab Ahmed, but he struck back in his very next over, with two wickets and a maiden. Afterwards, it was all Sri Lanka’s as Vaas picked up the wicket of Mohamed Ashraful. Jayasuriya, who had a bad day with the bat, got two wickets, while Lasith Malinga, and Farvez Maharoof contributed with one each. On a slow pitch, that got even slower, 147 was more than enough for the Sri Lankan bowlers, as they wrapped up Bangladesh for a mere 83.
After Captain Mahela Jayawardene put Pakistan to bat, seamers Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando bowled superbly to keep the Pakistanis struggling at 33/3. But, as soon as Sanath Jayasuriya and Gayan Wijekoon was introduced, Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan went for big hits. After two match winning performances, veteran Jayasuriya had an unforgettable day in cricket, as the Pakistani duo went for plenty in his 4 overs. The first man in International Cricket to score over 12000 runs and pick up 300 wickets in ODIs, was today at the receiving end, as he equalled England’s James Anderson’s record for conceding the most runs in a Twenty20 Intl. (64), on a day that just wasn’t ‘his’ .
Tillekaratne Dilshan going for 4 sixes in his 38 but, not enough to win the game. The unavailability of too many hard-hitting batsmen in Sri Lanka’s lower order, also paid the price for this game, when the top-order virtually failed.
Fernando was the key bowler in the game today, as he picked up two important wickets, those of Brenden McCullum and Lou Vincent early in the game. With the introduction of newcomer, Gayan Wijekoon in to the attack, Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor steadied the innings. Then Wijekoon, himself removed Fulton and thereafter it was Lasith Malinga, who joined the fun. Troubling the batsmen with his yorkers, Malinga didn’t allow the Kiwi batsmen to ease themselves. Malinga ran out Craig McMillan, and later picked up the wicket of Ross Taylor, who was the sole NewZealand batsman, who offered some resistance to the Sri Lankan bowlers. This was after Scott Styris had departed for a 2 been trapped leg before by Jayasuriya. Then, allrounder, Jacob Oram accelerated the innings with some big hits, towards the latter part of the game, taking the Kiwi total to 164/7.
Jayasuriya, who led the way with a match-winning half century. Upul Tharanga too contributed with a useful 37, and Captain, Mahela Jayawardene finished things off with a 35 off 18 balls, after Jayasuriya was caught by Fulton, off Vettori.
The Sri Lankans today scored a record-breaking 260/6 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, in their first match at the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, after they were put to bat by Kenya.
propelled the Sri Lankan side towards a huge score. He missed out on Bangladeshi skipper Mohammed Ashraful’s record of the fastest fifty in a Twenty20 match by a mere ball. As the skipper departed to a leg before by Jimmy Kamande, Sri Lanka were already on top with 212/5. After the quick dismissals of Chamara Silva and Tillekaratne Dilshan, it was the youngster Jehan Mubarak who further boosted the total taking them past 221, the highest total in a Twenty20 Intl. match by Australia against England in Jan. 2007. He once took Lameck Onyango for 29 runs in a single over, hitting 3 consecutive sixes and a four, as Sri Lanka posted the highest ever score in a Twenty20 Intl. game. At the end of the game, Mubarak, 
who scored 46 off just 13 balls, ran out of overs to complete a fifty, which would have actually ended up as the fastest fifty in a Twenty20 Intl. , and that too in his Twenty20 International debut.
== Sri Lanka Cricket == 