COLOMBO, April 28: Sri Lankans performed religious rituals, roamed around on open trucks carrying the national flag, coloured their faces and hung banners, hours before their cricket team was due to meet Australia in the World Cup final on Saturday.

People on streets, in trains and on buses talk little but cricket, the passion of this island nation of 19 million people, willing their team to again bring home the sport's biggest title after 11 years.

Sri Lanka Cricket exhibited the trophy won by Arjuna Ranatunga and his team in 1996, prompting fans to throng to touch and kiss it.

All television and radio channels in Sri Lanka are broadcasting World Cup cricket, highlighting team's achievements.

The World Cup final is giving Sri Lanka, beset by two decades of civil war, a different look and the people who were panic-stricken just 48 hours ago fearing a suspicious rebel aircraft over the nation's capital – Colombo is suddenly in party mood.

“We will win,” says Nadith Susantha, a physician, who pronounced that Sri Lanka's batsman are in full form and its bowlers are well-balanced.

But, Pramod Samarakoon, a computer graduate was more reserved saying: “Sri Lanka has a chance, but Australia is strong. You can't do any mistake against them, our players have to be very careful.”

Tamil Tiger rebels are fighting the government in the country's north and east, saying the country's ethnic minority Tamils can only prosper independently from the majority Sinhalese.

The conflict has killed 69,000 people that includes 4,000 deaths from the last 18 months alone.

Security forces are on high alert to prevent any attacks and carry out their routine search of vehicles that enter the capital.

Even though the Sri Lankan society is bitterly divided on politics, the country's multiethnic cricket team has been the main, if not only, symbol of unity.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and batsman Russel Arnold are Tamils, and players from religions including Buddhism, Hindu, Islam and Christianity make up the team.—AP