PORT-OF-SPAIN (Trinidad), March 24: Sri Lanka stormed into the World Cup Super Eights after virtually knocking India out of the tournament with an emphatic 69-run win here on Friday (also partially reported in Saturday’s edition).
Mahela Jayawardene's Sri Lankans qualified with an all-win record in the four-team group, meaning they will also carry forward two crucial points in the next round.
India's batting crumbled in the must-win game as they were bowled out for 185 chasing a 255-run target on a good pitch to put in their worst performance in the event since the 1979 edition in England.
They were the champions in 1983, semi-finalists in 1987 and 1996, and runners-up in 2003. This time, they could manage just one win in three matches, against debutants Bermuda.
Skipper Rahul Dravid, batting with a runner in the later part of his innings due to cramp, top-scored with 60 but that not good enough for his under-performing team despite enjoying the crowd support.
Bangladesh, who shocked India in their opening match, now have a chance to make it to the next round for the first time since their Cup debut in 1999 as they face Bermuda in their last Group B game here on Sunday.
Sri Lanka had more than one hero in their victory, with Upul Tharanga (64) and Chamara Silva (59) scoring solid half-centuries and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and seamer Chaminda Vaas tightening the screws on India.
Man-of-the-Match Muralitharan (3-41) also held a superb running catch at mid-off to account for Saurav Ganguly (seven).
Veteran left-arm fast bowler Vaas began it when he reacted sharply to hold a return catch to remove Robin Uthappa and then dismissed Ganguly in his disciplined opening spell.
Batting star Sachin Tendulkar also failed to sparkle as he fell for a duck, inside-edging a 91.5mph Dilhara Fernando delivery on to his stumps to leave his team tottering at 44-3.
Virender Sehwag sustained India's hopes with a 54-run stand for the fourth wicket with Dravid before being caught at lone slip by Jayawardene off Muralitharan.
Sehwag offered a difficult chance to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara off Fernando when on 39, but failed to capitalise on it. He hit one six and five fours in his 46-ball 48.
The roof fell in on India when Yuvraj Singh was run out going for a risky single and Mahendra Dhoni was trapped leg-before by Muralitharan at the same total of 112.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA:
W.U. Tharanga lbw b Tendulkar 64
S.T. Jayasuriya c Agarkar b Zaheer 6
D.P.M.D. Jayawardene c Dhoni b Agarkar 7
K.C. Sangakkara c Patel b Ganguly 15
L.P.C. Silva c Dhoni b Zaheer 59
T.M. Dilshan c Dhoni b Patel 38
R.P. Arnold not out 19
W.P.U.J.C. Vaas not out 19
EXTRAS (LB-11, W-14, NB-2) 27
TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 254
FALL OF WKTS: 1-33 (Jayasuriya, 6.6 ov), 2-53 (Jayawardene, 12.4 ov), 3-92 (Sangakkara, 23.3 ov), 4-133 (Tharanga, 32.2 ov), 5-216 (Dilshan, 45.4 ov), 6-216 (Silva, 46.1 ov).
DID NOT BAT: M. Muralitharan, S.L. Malinga, C.R.D. Fernando.
BOWLING: Zaheer Khan 10-0-49-2 (1nb, 5w); Agarkar 8-1-33-1 (3w); Munaf Patel 10-1-46-1; Harbhajan Singh 10-0-53-0 (3w); Ganguly 4-0-22-1 (1w); Tendulkar 8-0-40-1 (1nb, 2w).
INDIA:
A.R. Uthappa c and b Vaas 18
S.C. Ganguly c Murali b Vaas 7
V. Sehwag c Jayawardene b Murali 48
S.R. Tendulkar b Fernando 0
R. Dravid c Murali b Jayasuriya 60
Yuvraj Singh run out 6
M.S. Dhoni lbw b Murali 0
A.B. Agarkar c Arnold b Malinga 10
Harbhajan Singh not out 17
Zaheer Khan c Malinga b Murali 1
M.M. Patel c Vaas b Dilshan 10
EXTRAS (LB-1, W-7) 8
TOTAL (all out, 43.3 overs) 185
FALL OF WKTS: 1-25 (Uthappa, 6.5 ov), 2-43 (Ganguly, 10.5 ov), 3-44 (Tendulkar, 11.3 ov), 4-98 (Sehwag, 22.5 ov), 5-112 (Yuvraj Singh 27.4 ov), 6-112 (Dhoni, 28.1 ov), 7-136 (Agarkar, 34.4 ov), 8-159 (Dravid, 37.3 ov), 9-161 (Zaheer Khan, 38.6 ov).
BOWLING: Vaas 8-0-39-2; Malinga 8-0-39-1 (1w); Fernando 6.2-0-32-1 (2w); Muralitharan 10-0-41-3 (4w); Jayasuriya 9-0-31-1; Dilshan 2.1-1-2-1.
RESULT: Sri Lanka won by 69 runs.
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and D.J. Harper (Australia).
TV UMPIRE: S.J. Davis (Australia).
MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Muttiah Muralitharan.—AFP