Windies Crash Out Despite Sarwan's Heroics

Phew. In the end Sri Lanka beat West Indies by six runs, but it was a match which had more twists than an Giant Slalom course.

The outcome was in balance until the penultimate ball - that West Indies got as close as they did was thanks to a brave and belligerent innings of 47 not out from Ramnaresh Sarwan, who returned from hospital to take West Indies within one strike of victory. As it is, the result means that they almost certainly will miss out on a Super Six place.

West Indies, chasing a modest target but with the handicap of doing so under lights, looked for all the world to be down and out thanks to two superb spells from Chaminda Vaas. In his first seven-over burst he had Wavell Hinds caught off a leading edge for 2 (10 for 1) and then took the key wicket of Brian Lara, caught by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara off a slower delivery for a 22-ball 1 (27 for 2).

Vaas was brought back as Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were staging a dogged recovery, and he again struck gold. He trapped Gayle leg-before for 55 with a ball which jagged back (121 for 4) and three balls later had Ridley Jacobs caught by Sangakkara (replays suggested that Jacobs had missed the ball by some margin, but Dave Orchard thought otherwise). In between Vaas?s two spells, Dilhara Fernando had struck Sarwan on the helmet with a bouncer, a blow which resulted in him being rushed to hospital, and next ball dismissed Carl Hooper lbw (61 for 3).

In the next over a clueless Ricardo Powell (1) played all round Muttiah Muralitharan (122 for 6). Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Vasbert Drakes stooped the rot with placement rather than aggression, before Chaderpaul?s patience finally snapped and he holed out to long-on off Aravind de Silva for 65 (167 for 7). But Sri Lanka?s wild celebrations were cut short by the sight of Sarwan, stitched and rushed back to the ground under police escort, striding out to resume his innings.

Drakes's solid 25 ended when he holed out to Vaas at square leg off Sanath Jayasuriya (186 for 8). Sarwan, running out of partners, cut loose. The 47th and 48th overs of the innings produced 27 runs as Sarwan lofted sixes off Sanath Jayasuriya and de Silva (and was dropped by Marvan Atapattu on the backward square leg boundary to add to the drama). But with 15 needed off 12 balls, Muralitharan returned and bowled one of his tightest, most beguiling overs, which yielded just two runs as Merv Dillon got stuck on strike. Sarwan kept swinging, but the battle was lost.

And yet, even under lights, Sri Lanka did not look to have scored enough. Visibly racked by nerves, they struggled to a modest 228 for 6 as West Indies bowled with discipline and verve. Sri Lanka?s running between the wickets was dreadful, as consistently heart-stopping as a cheesy horror movie, and their strokeplay as inhibited as it had been free-flowing during their 1996 triumph: there were only 17 fours and no sixes in the whole innings. You?d see more flamboyance at a garden centre.

Even though Jayasuriya top-scored with 66, he was nowhere near his best and Sri Lanka were always off the pace. It began to go wrong in the fourth over, when Atapattu lost a race with Pedro Collins and was superbly run out for 3 (11 for 1), after which Jayasuriya and Hashan Tillekeratne took a while to get going. Jayasuriya?s 71-ball 50, celebrated with a stern castigation of Tillekeratne for some poor running, included only four fours and scarcely a flash outside off stump in anger.

The pair added 85 meticulous runs in 20 overs before Hinds, West Indies' part-time danger-man, struck again when Tillekeratne, wafting absent-mindedly to leg, was bowled off the pad.

Aravinda de Silva briefly looked to be in glorious form before he was stupidly run out. de Silva, his eyes on the fielder, turned for a third but Jayasuriya ? who had his back to his partner ? was having none of it (113 for 3). Then Mahela Jayawardene?s dismal tournament ? 15 runs in five matches now ? continued when he chipped Hooper tamely to midwicket (131 for 4), and three overs later Jayasuriya unerringly picked out Chanderpaul, looking right into the sun at deep midwicket, off Chris Gayle (139 for 5).

Sangakkara showed a bit of bristle, but on 24 he pulled Drakes down the throat of Lara at deep square leg (178 for 6). Vaas, in tandem with Russel Arnold, brought out the long handle, with 44 coming from the last five overs. When the crunch came, it made all the difference.

* SOURCE: Wisden Online.