March 18, 2003	Tuesday	Muharram 14, 1424

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FORMWATCH: Australia are in Cup-winning form, with nine wins out of nine and a world record of 15 One-day International wins in a row. They have already beaten every side left in the semifinals.

Sri Lanka have lurched dramatically from good to bad, both before and during the tournament. Shared the Champions Trophy, the biggest one-day event outside the World Cup, with India in September before losing a Cup warm-up one-day series 4-1 in South Africa. Suffered a shock defeat by Kenya in Nairobi in the first round but also beat New Zealand and West Indies and tied with South Africa to knock the hosts out. Then crushed by Australia and India in the Super Six and only reached the last four when New Zealand failed to beat India.

HEAD-T0-HEADS: The statistics show that Australia beat Sri Lanka in two of every three matches. But the rivalry has been much keener since the early 1990s after Australia had won 16 of the first 19 meetings. Sri Lanka have lost the last three one-day series, and four of the last five matches, but say they win the games that matter, including the 1996 World Cup final and the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal in September.

KEY PLAYERS: Australia — Brett Lee seems certain to become the player of the tournament. Repeatedly, he has made early inroads to settle matches. Against Kenya he took a hat trick without conceding a run, against New Zealand he took five wicket for three runs in 15 balls and in the previous match against Sri Lanka he took three wickets for one run in 11 deliveries.

Sri Lanka — Muttiah Muralitharan wins matches in two ways, either taking wickets — he also has 17 Cup victims, at 19.29 apiece — but almost as often by throttling scoring rates, conceding 3.32 runs an over at the tournament.

PREVIOUS WORLD CUPS: Holders Australia won the trophy for the first time in 1987 and, having achieved runners-up spots in 1975 and 1996, are the only country to have reached the final on four occasions.

Sri Lanka won the 1996 tournament by beating Australia, in the process revolutionising the game with their all-out attacking batting in the first 15 overs. It was the first time they had qualified for the final stages of the Cup. In 1999, they crashed out early, prompting a cull of older players.—Reuters