No time for pomp, the show goes on!

Having conquered the world and also the hearts of millions of Indian fans by lifting the ICC World Cup at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 2, the Indian cricketers soon got down to the frenzied business of playing the IPL without much ado.

The celebratory mood that enveloped the nation after skipper MS Dhoni scored the winning runs in the Cup final with a mighty six has still not abated, but the teams contesting the IPL are already into the thick of things.

Battle lines have been drawn and strategies are already being modified on the basis of the early skirmishes that have taken place between the ten contesting sides. The World Cup heroes have had mixed results in the opening encounters of IPL 4.

Dhoni continued his Midas touch by leading Chennai Super Kings to a pulsating 2 run win over a combative Kolkata Knight Riders team in the first match of the tournament.

Yuvraj led his new Pune Warriors team to victory in their first match. Sachin Tendulkar shepherded the Mumbai Indians to an easy win over Virender Sehwag's scrappy looking Delhi Daredevils. The Mumbai based team looked classy on the field with Tendulkar himself and the talented Rohit Sharma batting beautifully after Lasith Malinga had scalped 5 Daredevils wickets for a paltry 15 runs.

Sehwag has problems galore to handle for the Daredevils look weak this season and depend heavily on the captain. Venugopal Rao and Dave Warner need to perform consistently for them if they are to succeed in their campaign. Irfan Pathan too needs to regain his touch both with ball and bat for his new team.

Apart from the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings, the Rajasthan Royals have appeared the most exciting side on display. Shane Warne has been magical with the ball all over again and does not seem to have lost any of his touch, four years after he retired. The master leg spinner has also been inspirational as skipper again and with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha and Ross Taylor in the ranks, Warne's team could go all the way. The not-so-small matter of Shane Watson's availability (once he has finished slaughtering the Bangladesh team) would make the Royals even more formidable.

Jacques Kallis has been prolific with the bat in all editions of the IPL and started off with a bang this time too, scoring fifties in each of the first two matches to bag the Orange Cap. Other veterans like Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman have had mixed results till now. While Laxman played a few silken shots in his first knock, Gilchrist failed to get going.

The Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene suffered defeats in their first outings as skippers of the Hyderabad and Kochi teams, and thus failed to shrug off their World Cup final blues.

The new format of the IPL is such that only four teams will remain in the fray after the league matches are over and they will compete in an elimination round instead of a semi-final format.

Several talented young Indian players are on display once more and Indian cricket is bound to get even stronger over the years thanks to the IPL. Watch out, rest of the world!

source: http://cricketnext.in.com

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No time for pomp, the show goes on!

Having conquered the world and also the hearts of millions of Indian fans by lifting the ICC World Cup at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on April 2, the Indian cricketers soon got down to the frenzied business of playing the IPL without much ado.

The celebratory mood that enveloped the nation after skipper MS Dhoni scored the winning runs in the Cup final with a mighty six has still not abated, but the teams contesting the IPL are already into the thick of things.

Battle lines have been drawn and strategies are already being modified on the basis of the early skirmishes that have taken place between the ten contesting sides. The World Cup heroes have had mixed results in the opening encounters of IPL 4.

Dhoni continued his Midas touch by leading Chennai Super Kings to a pulsating 2 run win over a combative Kolkata Knight Riders team in the first match of the tournament.

Yuvraj led his new Pune Warriors team to victory in their first match. Sachin Tendulkar shepherded the Mumbai Indians to an easy win over Virender Sehwag's scrappy looking Delhi Daredevils. The Mumbai based team looked classy on the field with Tendulkar himself and the talented Rohit Sharma batting beautifully after Lasith Malinga had scalped 5 Daredevils wickets for a paltry 15 runs.

Sehwag has problems galore to handle for the Daredevils look weak this season and depend heavily on the captain. Venugopal Rao and Dave Warner need to perform consistently for them if they are to succeed in their campaign. Irfan Pathan too needs to regain his touch both with ball and bat for his new team.

Apart from the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings, the Rajasthan Royals have appeared the most exciting side on display. Shane Warne has been magical with the ball all over again and does not seem to have lost any of his touch, four years after he retired. The master leg spinner has also been inspirational as skipper again and with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha and Ross Taylor in the ranks, Warne's team could go all the way. The not-so-small matter of Shane Watson's availability (once he has finished slaughtering the Bangladesh team) would make the Royals even more formidable.

Jacques Kallis has been prolific with the bat in all editions of the IPL and started off with a bang this time too, scoring fifties in each of the first two matches to bag the Orange Cap. Other veterans like Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman have had mixed results till now. While Laxman played a few silken shots in his first knock, Gilchrist failed to get going.

The Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakarra and Mahela Jayawardene suffered defeats in their first outings as skippers of the Hyderabad and Kochi teams, and thus failed to shrug off their World Cup final blues.

The new format of the IPL is such that only four teams will remain in the fray after the league matches are over and they will compete in an elimination round instead of a semi-final format.

Several talented young Indian players are on display once more and Indian cricket is bound to get even stronger over the years thanks to the IPL. Watch out, rest of the world!

source: http://cricketnext.in.com

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Sri Lankan cricketers asked to leave IPL early

Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara with his teammates Muralitharan, Dilshan and Malinga during a post-World Cup press conference after team's arrival in Colombo. (AFP Photo)

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricketers participating in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) have been asked to return home early to prepare for the national team's tour of England that gets underway on May 14.

Ten Sri Lankan cricketers are contracted to various franchises, of which two of them are being led by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the islanders' two senior most players.

The Sri Lankans are scheduled to leave for England on May 10, and the IPL-contracted players have been requested to return home at least by May 5 to prepare for the tour.

The IPL ends on the May 28. "On a recommendation made by the national selection committee I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour," Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Tuesday.

"When contracted players of Sri Lanka Cricket represent other tournaments, they should make sure that their priority lies with the national team and this will be strictly adhered to in the future," Aluthgamage added.

The move by the Sri Lankan government is in complete contrast to the one that was taken three years ago when it cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow the players participate in the hugely popular Twenty20 league, which had started in 2008.

The government's decision at that time attracted severe criticism from both the media as well as several former players, including 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.

Besides Deccan Chargers skipper Sangakkara and Kochi Tuskers Kerala captain Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Tilakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Pradeep are some of the Sri Lankan players involved in the fourth season of the IPL.

As the list features match-winners like Malinga and Dilshan besides Sangakkara and Jayawardene, owners of the respective franchises would be hard-pressed to find replacements for these players. 

 

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Sri Lankan cricketers asked to leave IPL early

Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara with his teammates Muralitharan, Dilshan and Malinga during a post-World Cup press conference after team's arrival in Colombo. (AFP Photo)

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricketers participating in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) have been asked to return home early to prepare for the national team's tour of England that gets underway on May 14.

Ten Sri Lankan cricketers are contracted to various franchises, of which two of them are being led by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the islanders' two senior most players.

The Sri Lankans are scheduled to leave for England on May 10, and the IPL-contracted players have been requested to return home at least by May 5 to prepare for the tour.

The IPL ends on the May 28. "On a recommendation made by the national selection committee I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour," Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Tuesday.

"When contracted players of Sri Lanka Cricket represent other tournaments, they should make sure that their priority lies with the national team and this will be strictly adhered to in the future," Aluthgamage added.

The move by the Sri Lankan government is in complete contrast to the one that was taken three years ago when it cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow the players participate in the hugely popular Twenty20 league, which had started in 2008.

The government's decision at that time attracted severe criticism from both the media as well as several former players, including 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.

Besides Deccan Chargers skipper Sangakkara and Kochi Tuskers Kerala captain Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Tilakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Pradeep are some of the Sri Lankan players involved in the fourth season of the IPL.

As the list features match-winners like Malinga and Dilshan besides Sangakkara and Jayawardene, owners of the respective franchises would be hard-pressed to find replacements for these players. 

 

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Mahela Jayawardene and Sri Lanka selectors resign

 

Jayawardene quit as Sri Lanka captain in March 2009 Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene and the country's four selectors have resigned following the World Cup final defeat by India.
They follow Kumar Sangakkara, who quit as one-day and Twenty20 captain on Tuesday, but remains as Test captain.
Ex-captain Jayawardene said the time was right to "move on".
The selectors, headed by former national skipper Aravinda de Silva, handed their resignations to Sri Lanka's sports minister on Wednesday.
The quartet's term was due to end at the end of the month but De Silva, alongside Ranjith Fernando, Amal Silva and Azwer Ali chose to leave early in the wake of the six-wicket defeat by India in Mumbai on Saturday.

I think it's time to move on, give the reins to someone younger in the team

Former Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene

"While, like everyone else associated with Sri Lanka Cricket we are also enormously disappointed at our not being able to annex the coveted World Cup, which was lost to India in a highly competitive final, we are very happy that we have been able to meet most of our objectives in a short space of time," the selectors wrote in an open letter to sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
"In view of the fact that some major cricketing decisions have to be taken for the future of Sri Lanka cricket due to important assignments in the coming months, we would like to offer to step down immediately from the jobs of national selectors."
Former captain Jayawardene stepped down as skipper in March 2009 following Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan, which was abandoned when the tourists' team bus was attacked by gunmen in Lahore on 3 March.
The 33-year-old became only the sixth player in World Cup history to score a hundred in the final, but was the first player to hit three figures and finish on the losing side.
"I think it's time to move on, give the reins to someone younger in the team," said elegant right-handed batsman Jayawardene, who has scored 9,527 runs in 116 Tests and 9,423 in 341 one-day internationals in an illustrious career.
Sangakkara said his decision to resign as captain was made prior to the start of the World Cup to make way for a younger leader.
However, the left-hander will remain as interim Test captain for their tour of England, which begins in May and lasts until July.
All-rounders Angelo Mathews and Tillakaratne Dilshan are among the leading contenders to replace Sangakkara.

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Mahela Jayawardene and Sri Lanka selectors resign

 

Jayawardene quit as Sri Lanka captain in March 2009 Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene and the country's four selectors have resigned following the World Cup final defeat by India.
They follow Kumar Sangakkara, who quit as one-day and Twenty20 captain on Tuesday, but remains as Test captain.
Ex-captain Jayawardene said the time was right to "move on".
The selectors, headed by former national skipper Aravinda de Silva, handed their resignations to Sri Lanka's sports minister on Wednesday.
The quartet's term was due to end at the end of the month but De Silva, alongside Ranjith Fernando, Amal Silva and Azwer Ali chose to leave early in the wake of the six-wicket defeat by India in Mumbai on Saturday.

I think it's time to move on, give the reins to someone younger in the team

Former Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene

"While, like everyone else associated with Sri Lanka Cricket we are also enormously disappointed at our not being able to annex the coveted World Cup, which was lost to India in a highly competitive final, we are very happy that we have been able to meet most of our objectives in a short space of time," the selectors wrote in an open letter to sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
"In view of the fact that some major cricketing decisions have to be taken for the future of Sri Lanka cricket due to important assignments in the coming months, we would like to offer to step down immediately from the jobs of national selectors."
Former captain Jayawardene stepped down as skipper in March 2009 following Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan, which was abandoned when the tourists' team bus was attacked by gunmen in Lahore on 3 March.
The 33-year-old became only the sixth player in World Cup history to score a hundred in the final, but was the first player to hit three figures and finish on the losing side.
"I think it's time to move on, give the reins to someone younger in the team," said elegant right-handed batsman Jayawardene, who has scored 9,527 runs in 116 Tests and 9,423 in 341 one-day internationals in an illustrious career.
Sangakkara said his decision to resign as captain was made prior to the start of the World Cup to make way for a younger leader.
However, the left-hander will remain as interim Test captain for their tour of England, which begins in May and lasts until July.
All-rounders Angelo Mathews and Tillakaratne Dilshan are among the leading contenders to replace Sangakkara.

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Sussex coach Mark Robinson targets successive titles

Robinson took charge of first-team affairs at Sussex in 2005 Sussex CCC coach Mark Robinson is targeting successive titles following their return to Division One of the County Championship. Sussex were promoted as champions of Division Two last year. He told BBC Sussex: "We want to win it. Everything is to play for. We've won it three times since 2003 and we'd like to do it again. "We've worked hard and any team can get momentum, get belief and confidence. It can take you a long way." However, Sussex will begin their four-day campaign away to Lancashire on Friday without three key players, all of whom are England internationals. All-rounder Luke Wright is out for at least three weeks after an injection for a knee injury, wicketkeeper Matt Prior is carrying a shoulder injury, while captain Mike Yardy is still recovering from a stress-related illness. "To lose your captain and your leading all-rounder is a bit of a blow," Robinson said. "It's giving me headaches that you've got big players' spots to fill. But it gives me excitement that you've got younger members to come in and stake a claim." Robinson added that there is no timescale for when Yardy will return to first-team duties. "Mike has had five months away from home and is spending time with his family," the 44-year-old continued. "He came in on Tuesday and had a hit, but he'll take it day by day. If you rush these things it will only come back to bite you."

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Sussex coach Mark Robinson targets successive titles

Robinson took charge of first-team affairs at Sussex in 2005 Sussex CCC coach Mark Robinson is targeting successive titles following their return to Division One of the County Championship. Sussex were promoted as champions of Division Two last year. He told BBC Sussex: "We want to win it. Everything is to play for. We've won it three times since 2003 and we'd like to do it again. "We've worked hard and any team can get momentum, get belief and confidence. It can take you a long way." However, Sussex will begin their four-day campaign away to Lancashire on Friday without three key players, all of whom are England internationals. All-rounder Luke Wright is out for at least three weeks after an injection for a knee injury, wicketkeeper Matt Prior is carrying a shoulder injury, while captain Mike Yardy is still recovering from a stress-related illness. "To lose your captain and your leading all-rounder is a bit of a blow," Robinson said. "It's giving me headaches that you've got big players' spots to fill. But it gives me excitement that you've got younger members to come in and stake a claim." Robinson added that there is no timescale for when Yardy will return to first-team duties. "Mike has had five months away from home and is spending time with his family," the 44-year-old continued. "He came in on Tuesday and had a hit, but he'll take it day by day. If you rush these things it will only come back to bite you."

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Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka & NZ ready for semi-final

Cricket World Cup semi-final: New Zealand v Sri Lanka

• Venue: R. Premdasa Stadium, Colombo
• Date: Tuesday 29 March
• Start: 1000 BST
• Coverage: BBC TMS, 5 live sports extra (0945-1800 BST) and on this website

 

Sri Lanka beat NZ in an earlier group game

Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is an injury doubt for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.

The 38-year-old, who will retire after the tournament, is struggling with a hamstring injury and knee problem.
"Murali and everyone around him is trying to get him as fit as soon as possible and fit enough to play," said captain Kumar Sangakkara.
New Zealand paceman Andy McKay has replaced injured Kyle Mills, although Daryl Tuffey is likely to start.
The Black Caps defeated South Africa by 49 runs to reach the semi-finals.

However, New Zealand have failed to get past the last four stage in their previous five attempts.
"It's our big chance in the semi-finals to go one better," said captain Daniel Vettori.
"I think the reputation we have is that we can beat any team on a given day."
Meanwhile, Vettori said he was shocked about the plans for the pitch for the match at the R. Premdasa Stadium.
"They revealed we'd be playing on the same wicket as the one England played on in the last match," added Vettori, who will be stepping down as one-day captain after the tournament.
"We thought it would have been mandatory to prepare a fresh wicket, but obviously not."
Meanwhile, if Sri Lanka's Muralitharan fails to recover in time then he may be replaced by fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara.

"Kulasekara has done exceptionally well against New Zealand every single time he has gone out there," added Sangakkara, whose side thrashed England by 10 wickets in the quarter-finals.
"He is a strong contender to play as well."
Kulasekara took 1-19 off his seven overs in 112-run win over New Zealand in the group match at Mumbai. That was a contest which also saw Muralitharan take 4-25.
Sri Lanka, who won the 1996 World Cup, have reached the semi-finals on three occasions.
In 2007, they defeated New Zealand by 81 runs before losing to Australia in the final.
Despite beating the Black Caps in the group encounter and at the last World Cup, Sangakkara said his team will be wary of the threat posed by the underdogs.
"New Zealand will be exceptionally tough," said the skipper.
"Dan's a great captain and has been around the scene for a long time. He understands these conditions.
"They will be a formidable side and we don't expect anything to come easy to us."
Teams Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Daryl Tuffey.
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Match starts: 0900GMT

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Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka & NZ ready for semi-final

Cricket World Cup semi-final: New Zealand v Sri Lanka

• Venue: R. Premdasa Stadium, Colombo
• Date: Tuesday 29 March
• Start: 1000 BST
• Coverage: BBC TMS, 5 live sports extra (0945-1800 BST) and on this website

 

Sri Lanka beat NZ in an earlier group game

Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is an injury doubt for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.

The 38-year-old, who will retire after the tournament, is struggling with a hamstring injury and knee problem.
"Murali and everyone around him is trying to get him as fit as soon as possible and fit enough to play," said captain Kumar Sangakkara.
New Zealand paceman Andy McKay has replaced injured Kyle Mills, although Daryl Tuffey is likely to start.
The Black Caps defeated South Africa by 49 runs to reach the semi-finals.

However, New Zealand have failed to get past the last four stage in their previous five attempts.
"It's our big chance in the semi-finals to go one better," said captain Daniel Vettori.
"I think the reputation we have is that we can beat any team on a given day."
Meanwhile, Vettori said he was shocked about the plans for the pitch for the match at the R. Premdasa Stadium.
"They revealed we'd be playing on the same wicket as the one England played on in the last match," added Vettori, who will be stepping down as one-day captain after the tournament.
"We thought it would have been mandatory to prepare a fresh wicket, but obviously not."
Meanwhile, if Sri Lanka's Muralitharan fails to recover in time then he may be replaced by fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara.

"Kulasekara has done exceptionally well against New Zealand every single time he has gone out there," added Sangakkara, whose side thrashed England by 10 wickets in the quarter-finals.
"He is a strong contender to play as well."
Kulasekara took 1-19 off his seven overs in 112-run win over New Zealand in the group match at Mumbai. That was a contest which also saw Muralitharan take 4-25.
Sri Lanka, who won the 1996 World Cup, have reached the semi-finals on three occasions.
In 2007, they defeated New Zealand by 81 runs before losing to Australia in the final.
Despite beating the Black Caps in the group encounter and at the last World Cup, Sangakkara said his team will be wary of the threat posed by the underdogs.
"New Zealand will be exceptionally tough," said the skipper.
"Dan's a great captain and has been around the scene for a long time. He understands these conditions.
"They will be a formidable side and we don't expect anything to come easy to us."
Teams Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Daryl Tuffey.
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Match starts: 0900GMT

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Mismatch unless NZ can raise game

Match Facts

March 29, Colombo
Start time 1430 hours (0900 GMT)

	Muttiah Muralitharan needed treatment during the quarter-final. Will he be fit enough to play the semi? © Getty Images

The Big Picture

In the months leading up to the World Cup, New Zealand had traipsed through the subcontinent, copping defeat after defeat: they failed to make the final of a tri-series in Sri Lanka, were hammered 5-0 in India, and between those two beatings they were humiliated in Bangladesh, where they lost 4-0. "We played like d****, really," Mark Greatbatch had fumed. They then lost a one-day series 3-2 at home to Pakistan. New Zealand were fortunate, it was said, to be pooled in Group A, from which qualification for the quarter-finals was straightforward. And after the hammerings they suffered against Australia and Sri Lanka, almost no one gave Daniel Vettori's working-class boys a chance in the first knockout against well-oiled, on-top-of-their-game South Africa.

Here they are, though, the only non-Asian team in the final four: a country with a population about a third of Mumbai's making the World Cup semi-finals for the sixth time, aiming to reach its maiden final. To get there, however, New Zealand will need to discover a higher gear than the one they used to upset South Africa. Their bowling will need to be as disciplined, their fielding as tenacious, their catching as game-changing, but their batsmen will have to do more. They laboured to 221 against South Africa. Sri Lanka possess cannier bowlers, experts at exploiting the home advantage, and their openers chased down England's 229, inside 40 overs. New Zealand have struggled against spin and they are unlikely to receive from Sri Lanka the generosity Pakistan showed in Pallekele. When New Zealand played their group match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, they lost by 112 runs. That Wankhede pitch didn't turn that much either. Their batsmen will have to find a method to score more abundantly against a quality spin-heavy attack, and negotiate Lasith Malinga as well. The odds are heavily against them once again. Very few expect them to win. It is perhaps when New Zealand are most dangerous.

Sri Lanka will have prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. They would have prepared to face South Africa and hoped to play New Zealand instead. It is a semi-final, though, with no room for large errors, and having watched New Zealand intimidate and hustle South Africa out of the tournament, Sri Lanka will not expect anything less than all-out assault from their opponents. Mahela Jayawardene said as much.

On paper, Sri Lanka have this covered: a bowling attack with three specialist spinners and one part-timer (they bowled 35 overs against England), a fast bowler who is virtually unhittable when he bowls with the old ball, and an in-form top order. They, however, need to guard against two dangers. The openers, along with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, must ensure that the untested middle order doesn't have too much to do, and their fielding needs significant improvement. Sri Lanka uncharacteristically dropped three catches during their quarter-final. Perhaps it was the pressure, and there will be plenty of that on Tuesday.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WLWWW
Sri Lanka WWWWL

Watch out for...

New Zealand's fielding: Jacob Oram took a catch perhaps only he could have, and Martin Guptill ran out one of the fastest men in cricket, to swing the quarter-final against South Africa. New Zealand's fielders were incredible in that game, diving to cut off singles in the infield, chasing balls at furious pace, and performing tag-team saves on the boundary to allow two, where ordinarily there might have been three or four. They made their bowlers look better than they were. It's one discipline at which New Zealand will look to maximize their advantage over Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's top order: Tillakaratne Dilshan has 394 runs in this World Cup. His opening partner Upul Tharanga has 363. So does Kumar Sangakkara. They are among the top five run-scorers of the tournament and have done most of the batting for Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene, who bats at No. 4, has 200 runs. No one else has even a 100. That's how little the middle-order batsmen have had to do, largely because of a lack of substantial opportunity but also because it is Sri Lanka's biggest weakness. New Zealand will go extremely hard at the top four, for exposing the middle order early is their best chance of making the final.

Team news

Muttiah Muralitharan is striving to recover from two injuries. He hurt his knee during the group match against New Zealand on March 18 and strained his quadriceps in the quarter-final two days ago. If he is fit to play the semi-final, Sri Lanka will not think ahead to the final and rest him.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Lasith Malinga, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan / Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha Mendis

New Zealand are mulling over their spinners. To play three or not to play three, because Sri Lanka are far more skilled at playing the slow men than South Africa were. If they decide to go with only two then Luke Woodcock will miss out, and one of Daryl Tuffey and Andy McKay would come into the XI. Or perhaps James Franklin, though his inclusion ahead of a specialist bowler would significantly weaken the attack.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendom McCullum (wk), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Luke Woodcock / Daryl Tuffey / Andy McKay

Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing Team Selector.

Pitch and conditions

Vettori was surprised and upset that the surface being used for the semi-final is the same one on which Sri Lanka and England played the quarter-final on March 26. The pitch played slow during that game and it's likely to getter slower and harder to score on with repeated use. Chasing under lights used to be difficult at the Premadasa but Sri Lanka beat England without the loss of a wicket. The weather forecast is fair, with only chances of light rain.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand's batsmen played out 171 dot balls in the quarter-final against South Africa. They played out 120 dot balls in 35 overs during their group match against Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka have won their previous four World Cup games against New Zealand. The overall head-to-head record is 35-33 in New Zealand's favour but since 2000 it is 20-11 in Sri Lanka's favour. In Sri Lanka, since 2000, the head-to-head record is 6-1 against New Zealand.
• Ross Taylor has hit more sixes (14) in this World Cup than the entire Sri Lankan team (12).

Quotes

"We need to move on pretty quickly from the South Africa game. We are proud of our achievement but we have to concentrate on this game now."
Daniel Vettori is putting the quarter-final behind him and focusing on Sri Lanka.

"The expectations are always there, that's not something that we can control. What we really want to do is to make sure that when we go out, we stay in the moment and we concentrate on what we have to do and make sure our focus is 100%."
Kumar Sangakkara on how his team will approach the challenge.

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Mismatch unless NZ can raise game

Match Facts

March 29, Colombo
Start time 1430 hours (0900 GMT)

	Muttiah Muralitharan needed treatment during the quarter-final. Will he be fit enough to play the semi? © Getty Images

The Big Picture

In the months leading up to the World Cup, New Zealand had traipsed through the subcontinent, copping defeat after defeat: they failed to make the final of a tri-series in Sri Lanka, were hammered 5-0 in India, and between those two beatings they were humiliated in Bangladesh, where they lost 4-0. "We played like d****, really," Mark Greatbatch had fumed. They then lost a one-day series 3-2 at home to Pakistan. New Zealand were fortunate, it was said, to be pooled in Group A, from which qualification for the quarter-finals was straightforward. And after the hammerings they suffered against Australia and Sri Lanka, almost no one gave Daniel Vettori's working-class boys a chance in the first knockout against well-oiled, on-top-of-their-game South Africa.

Here they are, though, the only non-Asian team in the final four: a country with a population about a third of Mumbai's making the World Cup semi-finals for the sixth time, aiming to reach its maiden final. To get there, however, New Zealand will need to discover a higher gear than the one they used to upset South Africa. Their bowling will need to be as disciplined, their fielding as tenacious, their catching as game-changing, but their batsmen will have to do more. They laboured to 221 against South Africa. Sri Lanka possess cannier bowlers, experts at exploiting the home advantage, and their openers chased down England's 229, inside 40 overs. New Zealand have struggled against spin and they are unlikely to receive from Sri Lanka the generosity Pakistan showed in Pallekele. When New Zealand played their group match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, they lost by 112 runs. That Wankhede pitch didn't turn that much either. Their batsmen will have to find a method to score more abundantly against a quality spin-heavy attack, and negotiate Lasith Malinga as well. The odds are heavily against them once again. Very few expect them to win. It is perhaps when New Zealand are most dangerous.

Sri Lanka will have prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. They would have prepared to face South Africa and hoped to play New Zealand instead. It is a semi-final, though, with no room for large errors, and having watched New Zealand intimidate and hustle South Africa out of the tournament, Sri Lanka will not expect anything less than all-out assault from their opponents. Mahela Jayawardene said as much.

On paper, Sri Lanka have this covered: a bowling attack with three specialist spinners and one part-timer (they bowled 35 overs against England), a fast bowler who is virtually unhittable when he bowls with the old ball, and an in-form top order. They, however, need to guard against two dangers. The openers, along with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, must ensure that the untested middle order doesn't have too much to do, and their fielding needs significant improvement. Sri Lanka uncharacteristically dropped three catches during their quarter-final. Perhaps it was the pressure, and there will be plenty of that on Tuesday.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WLWWW
Sri Lanka WWWWL

Watch out for...

New Zealand's fielding: Jacob Oram took a catch perhaps only he could have, and Martin Guptill ran out one of the fastest men in cricket, to swing the quarter-final against South Africa. New Zealand's fielders were incredible in that game, diving to cut off singles in the infield, chasing balls at furious pace, and performing tag-team saves on the boundary to allow two, where ordinarily there might have been three or four. They made their bowlers look better than they were. It's one discipline at which New Zealand will look to maximize their advantage over Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's top order: Tillakaratne Dilshan has 394 runs in this World Cup. His opening partner Upul Tharanga has 363. So does Kumar Sangakkara. They are among the top five run-scorers of the tournament and have done most of the batting for Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene, who bats at No. 4, has 200 runs. No one else has even a 100. That's how little the middle-order batsmen have had to do, largely because of a lack of substantial opportunity but also because it is Sri Lanka's biggest weakness. New Zealand will go extremely hard at the top four, for exposing the middle order early is their best chance of making the final.

Team news

Muttiah Muralitharan is striving to recover from two injuries. He hurt his knee during the group match against New Zealand on March 18 and strained his quadriceps in the quarter-final two days ago. If he is fit to play the semi-final, Sri Lanka will not think ahead to the final and rest him.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Lasith Malinga, 9 Muttiah Muralitharan / Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha Mendis

New Zealand are mulling over their spinners. To play three or not to play three, because Sri Lanka are far more skilled at playing the slow men than South Africa were. If they decide to go with only two then Luke Woodcock will miss out, and one of Daryl Tuffey and Andy McKay would come into the XI. Or perhaps James Franklin, though his inclusion ahead of a specialist bowler would significantly weaken the attack.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendom McCullum (wk), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Jacob Oram, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Luke Woodcock / Daryl Tuffey / Andy McKay

Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing Team Selector.

Pitch and conditions

Vettori was surprised and upset that the surface being used for the semi-final is the same one on which Sri Lanka and England played the quarter-final on March 26. The pitch played slow during that game and it's likely to getter slower and harder to score on with repeated use. Chasing under lights used to be difficult at the Premadasa but Sri Lanka beat England without the loss of a wicket. The weather forecast is fair, with only chances of light rain.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand's batsmen played out 171 dot balls in the quarter-final against South Africa. They played out 120 dot balls in 35 overs during their group match against Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka have won their previous four World Cup games against New Zealand. The overall head-to-head record is 35-33 in New Zealand's favour but since 2000 it is 20-11 in Sri Lanka's favour. In Sri Lanka, since 2000, the head-to-head record is 6-1 against New Zealand.
• Ross Taylor has hit more sixes (14) in this World Cup than the entire Sri Lankan team (12).

Quotes

"We need to move on pretty quickly from the South Africa game. We are proud of our achievement but we have to concentrate on this game now."
Daniel Vettori is putting the quarter-final behind him and focusing on Sri Lanka.

"The expectations are always there, that's not something that we can control. What we really want to do is to make sure that when we go out, we stay in the moment and we concentrate on what we have to do and make sure our focus is 100%."
Kumar Sangakkara on how his team will approach the challenge.

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Wright says he likes New Zealand aggression

	John Wright admits that batting well will be key against Sri Lanka © Getty Images

John Wright, the New Zealand coach, has backed his side's aggressive approach during their quarter-final win against South Africa in Mirpur. An on-field spat saw New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills, along with South Africa's Francois du Plessis, fined by the match referee for breaching the ICC's code of conduct.

"I like the aggression of the team, particularly in the field," Wright said ahead of the semi-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo. "That's important. We've got to play with passion and they're showing that. The odd thing happens. But that's international sport."

Defending a modest 221, New Zealand put South Africa under tremendous pressure in Mirpur, by producing one of the best fielding displays of the tournament. The aggression boiled over in the 28th over of South Africa's chase, when there was an altercation between du Plessis and some of the New Zealand players following AB de Villiers' crucial run-out. Mills, who was not in the playing XI for New Zealand, along with Vettori and some other team-mates, became embroiled in a heated exchange with du Plessis and de Villiers, who had remained on the field to offer support to his team-mate.

Wright, however, made light of the incident. "It made reasonably interesting viewing for those out there," he said. "It happened and it was dealt with. The players on both sides knew there was a lot at stake, which is what you expect of any South Africa-New Zealand contest.

"I think the boys were committed, they wanted to win and made their presence felt. We're all pretty pleased right now. We did a lot of preparation for that game and achieved plenty of game-plan targets."

While praising the purposeful fielding and bowling efforts, Wright admitted that the batting had to lift ahead of the semi-final. "We were probably 20 runs short [against South Africa], but knew if we got 220-plus it was defendable," Wright said. "We are making up for it in the field and with the ball. We have to bat well [against Sri Lanka], that is the key for us."

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Wright says he likes New Zealand aggression

	John Wright admits that batting well will be key against Sri Lanka © Getty Images

John Wright, the New Zealand coach, has backed his side's aggressive approach during their quarter-final win against South Africa in Mirpur. An on-field spat saw New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills, along with South Africa's Francois du Plessis, fined by the match referee for breaching the ICC's code of conduct.

"I like the aggression of the team, particularly in the field," Wright said ahead of the semi-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo. "That's important. We've got to play with passion and they're showing that. The odd thing happens. But that's international sport."

Defending a modest 221, New Zealand put South Africa under tremendous pressure in Mirpur, by producing one of the best fielding displays of the tournament. The aggression boiled over in the 28th over of South Africa's chase, when there was an altercation between du Plessis and some of the New Zealand players following AB de Villiers' crucial run-out. Mills, who was not in the playing XI for New Zealand, along with Vettori and some other team-mates, became embroiled in a heated exchange with du Plessis and de Villiers, who had remained on the field to offer support to his team-mate.

Wright, however, made light of the incident. "It made reasonably interesting viewing for those out there," he said. "It happened and it was dealt with. The players on both sides knew there was a lot at stake, which is what you expect of any South Africa-New Zealand contest.

"I think the boys were committed, they wanted to win and made their presence felt. We're all pretty pleased right now. We did a lot of preparation for that game and achieved plenty of game-plan targets."

While praising the purposeful fielding and bowling efforts, Wright admitted that the batting had to lift ahead of the semi-final. "We were probably 20 runs short [against South Africa], but knew if we got 220-plus it was defendable," Wright said. "We are making up for it in the field and with the ball. We have to bat well [against Sri Lanka], that is the key for us."

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Muralitharan doubtful but Sangakkara upbeat

For the second match in succession, Sri Lanka are sweating over the fitness of Muttiah Muralitharan who is nursing a leg injury ahead of the semi-final against New Zealand tomorrow. "Murali and everyone around him is trying to get him as fit as possible and fit enough to play," Kumar Sangakkara said.

"It's no use thinking about the final and saving him for other games, this is the crunch game and if he can play tomorrow that'll be great for us, but if that doesn't work out, we've got enough cover to make sure that we are still a solid winning side."

"At the same time its two different injuries. He knocked his knee at Mumbai and he's just aggravated a quadricep muscle - a very slight strain - in the game before so it's not the same injury. We'll just have to monitor how he goes and hope he is fit enough to play."

Sangakkara said that with injuries, it was crucial to see that both the team and the player were comfortable with him taking part in the match, especially a big one like the semi-final. "If Murali is not fit it's something that we have to accept and get on with."

Having thrashed England by ten wickets in the quarter-finals, Sangakkara said that complacency is the last thing on Sri Lanka's radar. "There's no chance of that happening in anyone's mind. You understand the gravity of the situation, you understand the challenge that's going to come your way, you got to accept it and you got to enjoy it.

	Muttiah Muralitharan is in doubt for the semi-final with a leg injury © AFP

"The guys have done pretty well and tomorrow is not going to be any different. You can't play too much to the crowds, or too much to show off, it's a question of playing good solid cricket, concentrate on doing the best. We have set ourselves small goals to achieve, if we keep our heads and we perform as well as we can, we can turn it into a solid performance."

"The expectations are always there, that's not something that we can control, what we really want to do is to make sure that when we go out tomorrow, we are realistic. We stay in the moment and make sure we concentrate on what we have to do and make sure our focus is 100 per cent on tomorrow."

Sangakkara said the win over England was made to look easy because the openers - Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga - came up with a magnificent batting performance. "Those kinds of partnerships don't come very often and that kind of overshadowed the contest as such. But England is a side that we were very wary of and we expected nothing less than their strong performance. In the light of that tomorrow it's a new game for us. It's nothing to do with England, we are starting from square one and we want to make sure that we understand that."

Sangakkara said that his team was building up momentum towards the final and that they were improving by the day. "In a tournament like this, there's never a point when you think over where you are the best. It never happens in cricket. Also in big tournaments it's always a question of gradual and continuous improvement for us. There are lots of areas we have to make sure we cover, we've done pretty much in the two days leading upto tomorrow. The guys are much focussed they are pretty confident but at the same time they understand that it is the performance that counts and that's what we are trying to deliver tomorrow."

Sri Lanka were second-placed in Group A in the league stage which was considered relatively easier compared to Group B but Sangakkara didn't think that was the case. "It's hard to say that we got lots of breaks in the group stages and very few breaks this time. That's not something that we can control, the schedule was set long before and we are happy that we have got here. Ours is to go one step further tomorrow."

Sri Lanka used three specialist spinners plus the occasional spin of Dilshan against England, but Sangakkara did not indicate what their plans were against New Zealand. "We thought that was the best combination to play against England. It was a very good track and it stayed true throughout. At the same time we have to consider other options as well. We have fast bowlers, especially Nuwan Kulasekara, who has done exceptionally well against New Zealand. So we got to make sure we play the right combination."

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Muralitharan doubtful but Sangakkara upbeat

For the second match in succession, Sri Lanka are sweating over the fitness of Muttiah Muralitharan who is nursing a leg injury ahead of the semi-final against New Zealand tomorrow. "Murali and everyone around him is trying to get him as fit as possible and fit enough to play," Kumar Sangakkara said.

"It's no use thinking about the final and saving him for other games, this is the crunch game and if he can play tomorrow that'll be great for us, but if that doesn't work out, we've got enough cover to make sure that we are still a solid winning side."

"At the same time its two different injuries. He knocked his knee at Mumbai and he's just aggravated a quadricep muscle - a very slight strain - in the game before so it's not the same injury. We'll just have to monitor how he goes and hope he is fit enough to play."

Sangakkara said that with injuries, it was crucial to see that both the team and the player were comfortable with him taking part in the match, especially a big one like the semi-final. "If Murali is not fit it's something that we have to accept and get on with."

Having thrashed England by ten wickets in the quarter-finals, Sangakkara said that complacency is the last thing on Sri Lanka's radar. "There's no chance of that happening in anyone's mind. You understand the gravity of the situation, you understand the challenge that's going to come your way, you got to accept it and you got to enjoy it.

	Muttiah Muralitharan is in doubt for the semi-final with a leg injury © AFP

"The guys have done pretty well and tomorrow is not going to be any different. You can't play too much to the crowds, or too much to show off, it's a question of playing good solid cricket, concentrate on doing the best. We have set ourselves small goals to achieve, if we keep our heads and we perform as well as we can, we can turn it into a solid performance."

"The expectations are always there, that's not something that we can control, what we really want to do is to make sure that when we go out tomorrow, we are realistic. We stay in the moment and make sure we concentrate on what we have to do and make sure our focus is 100 per cent on tomorrow."

Sangakkara said the win over England was made to look easy because the openers - Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga - came up with a magnificent batting performance. "Those kinds of partnerships don't come very often and that kind of overshadowed the contest as such. But England is a side that we were very wary of and we expected nothing less than their strong performance. In the light of that tomorrow it's a new game for us. It's nothing to do with England, we are starting from square one and we want to make sure that we understand that."

Sangakkara said that his team was building up momentum towards the final and that they were improving by the day. "In a tournament like this, there's never a point when you think over where you are the best. It never happens in cricket. Also in big tournaments it's always a question of gradual and continuous improvement for us. There are lots of areas we have to make sure we cover, we've done pretty much in the two days leading upto tomorrow. The guys are much focussed they are pretty confident but at the same time they understand that it is the performance that counts and that's what we are trying to deliver tomorrow."

Sri Lanka were second-placed in Group A in the league stage which was considered relatively easier compared to Group B but Sangakkara didn't think that was the case. "It's hard to say that we got lots of breaks in the group stages and very few breaks this time. That's not something that we can control, the schedule was set long before and we are happy that we have got here. Ours is to go one step further tomorrow."

Sri Lanka used three specialist spinners plus the occasional spin of Dilshan against England, but Sangakkara did not indicate what their plans were against New Zealand. "We thought that was the best combination to play against England. It was a very good track and it stayed true throughout. At the same time we have to consider other options as well. We have fast bowlers, especially Nuwan Kulasekara, who has done exceptionally well against New Zealand. So we got to make sure we play the right combination."

Read More

Vettori considering three-spinner attack

Daniel Vettori would make a bad bridesmaid. He wouldn't fit the role of the person dressed up to walk down the aisle behind someone more important. He is the important one.

At the best of times, Vettori is abrupt - probably not intentionally, but because it's part of his character. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy who gives a straight answer to most questions. Whether he expected to be sitting in a press conference as the only non-subcontinental team captain at the World Cup semi-finals, he won't say, but he seems rightly annoyed with being asked if his team is excited to have got this far.

"It's the semi-final of the World Cup, everyone is ecstatic," he said dryly. Of course they are. New Zealand have proven themselves to be one of the top four teams in the tournament. They beat the odds. After a group stage which saw them record victory over only one major team, Pakistan, and get thumped by two others, Sri Lanka and Australia, they came into the quarter-finals as one of the weaker sides. Very few people expected them to raise their game enough to beat South Africa and even when talking about that victory, very few people say that it was New Zealand who won the game. Most say it was South Africa who lost it.

Vettori doesn't really want to talk about that anymore, because he has more important things on his mind. "We need to move on pretty quickly from the South Africa game. We're proud of our achievement, but we need to concentrate on the semi-final." Most people paid him very little attention when he made that point, probably because most don't expect New Zealand to get past the semi-finals. That's partly because they are playing a very strong Sri Lanka side and partly because this will be their sixth World Cup semi-final, without having ever made the final.

	'We're proud of our achievement [beating South Africa], but we need to concentrate on the semi-final' - Daniel Vettori © Associated Press Enlarge

"Everyone wants to talk about our record [of always going out at the semi-final stage], but this is an amazing achievement for a small country," Vettori said, which hinted that he was satisfied enough with having come this far. He recovered quickly though. "We have our expectations, it's irrelevant what people say. We reached the Champions Trophy final in 2009, there we went one step further." New Zealand were horribly outplayed in that match, losing to Australia by six wickets. But, it was an important exercise for them, because they played in a final of an ICC tournament - for the first time since the 2000 Champions Trophy, which they won, beating India - and experienced the pressures of a do-or-die encounter of a different kind.

Vettori knows consistency is the key. "When we've won well, we've followed it up with a poor performance," he said referring to the group stage. "We've got to make sure we have another big performance in the bag because Sri Lanka will be very strong in home conditions."

Sri Lanka have looked the side to beat and on a pitch where they asserted their authority over England, they will be tough to handle. Vettori is toying with the idea of picking three spinners for the match. "The fact that it's a used wicket may allow us to do that, but Sri Lanka have grown up playing spin."

Getting their combination right for the semi-final will not be the trickiest thing for New Zealand, it will be making sure that that combination works well on the day. Vettori said that they were fortunate to have "one or two batsmen and a bowler or two who could stand up" in the knockouts. "It was Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram who did it against South Africa. That made the difference and it may have to be someone else who does it now."

Vettori himself, playing in either his penultimate or final match as captain, may be the man to shoulder the responsibility. He knows it's his last chance, as he is firm in his decision to step down as captain. "I've made the decision. You need fresh ideas and people get sick of you." To leave office as the blushing bride probably doesn't quite fit his image either, but Vettori would chose to be the bride over the bridesmaid any day.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Read More

Vettori considering three-spinner attack

Daniel Vettori would make a bad bridesmaid. He wouldn't fit the role of the person dressed up to walk down the aisle behind someone more important. He is the important one.

At the best of times, Vettori is abrupt - probably not intentionally, but because it's part of his character. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy who gives a straight answer to most questions. Whether he expected to be sitting in a press conference as the only non-subcontinental team captain at the World Cup semi-finals, he won't say, but he seems rightly annoyed with being asked if his team is excited to have got this far.

"It's the semi-final of the World Cup, everyone is ecstatic," he said dryly. Of course they are. New Zealand have proven themselves to be one of the top four teams in the tournament. They beat the odds. After a group stage which saw them record victory over only one major team, Pakistan, and get thumped by two others, Sri Lanka and Australia, they came into the quarter-finals as one of the weaker sides. Very few people expected them to raise their game enough to beat South Africa and even when talking about that victory, very few people say that it was New Zealand who won the game. Most say it was South Africa who lost it.

Vettori doesn't really want to talk about that anymore, because he has more important things on his mind. "We need to move on pretty quickly from the South Africa game. We're proud of our achievement, but we need to concentrate on the semi-final." Most people paid him very little attention when he made that point, probably because most don't expect New Zealand to get past the semi-finals. That's partly because they are playing a very strong Sri Lanka side and partly because this will be their sixth World Cup semi-final, without having ever made the final.

	'We're proud of our achievement [beating South Africa], but we need to concentrate on the semi-final' - Daniel Vettori © Associated Press Enlarge

"Everyone wants to talk about our record [of always going out at the semi-final stage], but this is an amazing achievement for a small country," Vettori said, which hinted that he was satisfied enough with having come this far. He recovered quickly though. "We have our expectations, it's irrelevant what people say. We reached the Champions Trophy final in 2009, there we went one step further." New Zealand were horribly outplayed in that match, losing to Australia by six wickets. But, it was an important exercise for them, because they played in a final of an ICC tournament - for the first time since the 2000 Champions Trophy, which they won, beating India - and experienced the pressures of a do-or-die encounter of a different kind.

Vettori knows consistency is the key. "When we've won well, we've followed it up with a poor performance," he said referring to the group stage. "We've got to make sure we have another big performance in the bag because Sri Lanka will be very strong in home conditions."

Sri Lanka have looked the side to beat and on a pitch where they asserted their authority over England, they will be tough to handle. Vettori is toying with the idea of picking three spinners for the match. "The fact that it's a used wicket may allow us to do that, but Sri Lanka have grown up playing spin."

Getting their combination right for the semi-final will not be the trickiest thing for New Zealand, it will be making sure that that combination works well on the day. Vettori said that they were fortunate to have "one or two batsmen and a bowler or two who could stand up" in the knockouts. "It was Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram who did it against South Africa. That made the difference and it may have to be someone else who does it now."

Vettori himself, playing in either his penultimate or final match as captain, may be the man to shoulder the responsibility. He knows it's his last chance, as he is firm in his decision to step down as captain. "I've made the decision. You need fresh ideas and people get sick of you." To leave office as the blushing bride probably doesn't quite fit his image either, but Vettori would chose to be the bride over the bridesmaid any day.

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

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Tight security as ministers flock to Mohali

	Sachin Tendulkar was watched over by several police officers as he left the PCA Stadium © AFP

Inside the Mohali stadium there is an eerie silence. Pakistan arrived in the morning for their nets, India followed in the afternoon, then Pakistan returned later in the evening for fielding practice. Sitting inside the ground it just seemed another normal day. But that feeling blew away in the Mohali dust as soon as one stepped towards the entrance of the stadium, the epicentre of the ground.

There were officials and personnel from several arms of the Indian security machinery. The army, the National Security Guard (NSG), the Special Protection Group (SPG), which guards the country's prime minister, the state police; they all milled around like worker ants, doing decoys and last-minute checks.

Outside the ground, hundreds of fans had been clambering along the ticket windows since early in the morning, despite the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) announcing earlier last week that all tickets for the public were sold out. Turns out, a television station had announced that a batch of tickets would be sold at the stadium. The fans turned up in the morning and stood, squatted and loitered around in hope for the entire day. No one moved from behind the ticket window. One of the policemen, just off his shift, told ESPNcricinfo that he was going to change into civvies and join the queue of the hopeful.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab's deputy chief minister, described the semi-finals as a "major" event, and said the entire world would be watching India "fighting" Pakistan. "The level of excitement created [for this match], I think it would [even] be less in the final," Badal said. He assured that police had made all arrangements to ensure there would be proper movement and proper parking available on Wednesday.

With Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accepting his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh's invite to attend the match, the security was expected to reach asphyxiating proportions. To avoid any chaos and undue distress, Badal suggested that the fans turn up at least three hours in advance. He also indicated that, in addition to the two prime ministers, a bevy of state chief ministers and governors, along with minsters in the federal government, are marching towards Chandigarh for the match. Also attending would be the chairman of the Pakistan senate and the governor of Punjab province in Pakistan.

The police outside the PCA Stadium have already had to deal with one potentially troublesome situation. On Monday, a group of workers from the pharmaceutical industry, who were protesting against a lack of jobs, walked towards the stadium, perhaps in hope of attracting attention from the media, who they knew would be swarming around the ground. The police sent them away, but a stone was hurled at a policeman, leading to a skirmish in which a few protestors were injured. The situation was brought under control in less than an hour.

Reports of Pakistani fans storming through the Wagah border, and wandering around Chandigarh in search for tickets, were unfounded. What remained as unclear was the total number of people crossing the border to witness the semi-finals. "The number is not clear at this moment because the visas have to be given; by tomorrow evening we will know," Badal said.

Pakistani fans who cannot make it to Mohali will still be able to enjoy the match in a stadium atmosphere. As per the directive of Pakistan's government, the PCB will be setting up digital screens under flood lights at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where fans can come watch the game, for free.

IS Bindra, the PCA head, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had originally asked for only 50 tickets, but once Pakistan made it to the semis, they asked for four times that number. Bindra said the PCB was eventually granted 200 complimentary tickets. It is understood that the PCB would distribute the tickets to its own partners and not the public. So the list would include board officials, governing board members, and various personnel working for the president and the prime minister's offices. There is likely to be some corporate presence, too.

According to Bindra, the PCA is the only cricket association which has allotted 14,000 out of the total capacity of 27,000 tickets to the general public. He said those tickets went on sale on March 21 and were exhausted the next morning. "6000 have been given to the ICC. 1800 have been given to the PCA members. 1800 have been disbursed to the various state associations of the BCCI," Bindra said. "The least number of VVIP tickets have been issued in Mohali compared to other venues."

Read More

Tight security as ministers flock to Mohali

	Sachin Tendulkar was watched over by several police officers as he left the PCA Stadium © AFP

Inside the Mohali stadium there is an eerie silence. Pakistan arrived in the morning for their nets, India followed in the afternoon, then Pakistan returned later in the evening for fielding practice. Sitting inside the ground it just seemed another normal day. But that feeling blew away in the Mohali dust as soon as one stepped towards the entrance of the stadium, the epicentre of the ground.

There were officials and personnel from several arms of the Indian security machinery. The army, the National Security Guard (NSG), the Special Protection Group (SPG), which guards the country's prime minister, the state police; they all milled around like worker ants, doing decoys and last-minute checks.

Outside the ground, hundreds of fans had been clambering along the ticket windows since early in the morning, despite the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) announcing earlier last week that all tickets for the public were sold out. Turns out, a television station had announced that a batch of tickets would be sold at the stadium. The fans turned up in the morning and stood, squatted and loitered around in hope for the entire day. No one moved from behind the ticket window. One of the policemen, just off his shift, told ESPNcricinfo that he was going to change into civvies and join the queue of the hopeful.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab's deputy chief minister, described the semi-finals as a "major" event, and said the entire world would be watching India "fighting" Pakistan. "The level of excitement created [for this match], I think it would [even] be less in the final," Badal said. He assured that police had made all arrangements to ensure there would be proper movement and proper parking available on Wednesday.

With Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani accepting his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh's invite to attend the match, the security was expected to reach asphyxiating proportions. To avoid any chaos and undue distress, Badal suggested that the fans turn up at least three hours in advance. He also indicated that, in addition to the two prime ministers, a bevy of state chief ministers and governors, along with minsters in the federal government, are marching towards Chandigarh for the match. Also attending would be the chairman of the Pakistan senate and the governor of Punjab province in Pakistan.

The police outside the PCA Stadium have already had to deal with one potentially troublesome situation. On Monday, a group of workers from the pharmaceutical industry, who were protesting against a lack of jobs, walked towards the stadium, perhaps in hope of attracting attention from the media, who they knew would be swarming around the ground. The police sent them away, but a stone was hurled at a policeman, leading to a skirmish in which a few protestors were injured. The situation was brought under control in less than an hour.

Reports of Pakistani fans storming through the Wagah border, and wandering around Chandigarh in search for tickets, were unfounded. What remained as unclear was the total number of people crossing the border to witness the semi-finals. "The number is not clear at this moment because the visas have to be given; by tomorrow evening we will know," Badal said.

Pakistani fans who cannot make it to Mohali will still be able to enjoy the match in a stadium atmosphere. As per the directive of Pakistan's government, the PCB will be setting up digital screens under flood lights at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where fans can come watch the game, for free.

IS Bindra, the PCA head, said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had originally asked for only 50 tickets, but once Pakistan made it to the semis, they asked for four times that number. Bindra said the PCB was eventually granted 200 complimentary tickets. It is understood that the PCB would distribute the tickets to its own partners and not the public. So the list would include board officials, governing board members, and various personnel working for the president and the prime minister's offices. There is likely to be some corporate presence, too.

According to Bindra, the PCA is the only cricket association which has allotted 14,000 out of the total capacity of 27,000 tickets to the general public. He said those tickets went on sale on March 21 and were exhausted the next morning. "6000 have been given to the ICC. 1800 have been given to the PCA members. 1800 have been disbursed to the various state associations of the BCCI," Bindra said. "The least number of VVIP tickets have been issued in Mohali compared to other venues."

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