Sri Lanka and Pakistan have emerged triumphant from the horror of Lahore last March when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus to stake a place in today’s Twenty20 World Cup final at Lord’s.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, one of six players wounded in the attack, told reporters on Friday after his team’s semi-final win over the West Indies that the assault had reminded his team of their own mortality.
“I think it is a fitting reward for the courage of the team in the way they have played in this tournament, all the players have got through,” Sangakkara said.
PHOTO: AP
His Pakistan counterpart Younus Khan, whose team did not play a single Test last year because of the uncertainty at home, sounded a similar note after beating South Africa on Thursday.
“We are suffering from everything in Pakistan and everyone knows about all the fighting, a lot of fighting. If we can lift the Cup, it will provide great cheer for the people,” Younus said.
The teams took strikingly different paths to today’s final.
Sri Lanka have set the pace throughout with both bat and ball, and have not lost a match.
Pakistan, desperately short of practice, were outplayed by England in their opening match, but rallied remarkably to thrash New Zealand and then upset a confident, well-drilled South Africa in Thursday’s semi-final.
Both sides have exhibited the imagination and technical expertise which have made the tournament so memorable, with the latest form of the game evolving and changing daily before noisy sell-out crowds at Lord’s, the Oval and Trent Bridge.
Sri Lanka will start favorites by virtue of their consistency and strength in depth.
Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament’s top scorer, has played a stream of delightful strokes around the wicket, including the now renowned scoop shot that sends the ball flying over his head to the boundary.
In the field, captain Sangakkara has the luxury of an elite bowling trio, who both attack and contain, in Lasith Malinga (fast) and Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis (spin).
Pakistan pace bowler Umar Gul destroyed New Zealand with the first five-wicket haul in Twenty20 cricket, reverse-swinging the ball wickedly in the second half of the innings.
Pakistan then beat South Africa in the semi-finals through a devastating all-round performance from Shahid Afridi, who returned to his dynamic best with the bat before showing again just how potent his quick leg-spin can be.
“Afridi is a guy who can take the game away from you in a few overs,” Sangakkara said. “But we can’t really get caught up in just one player.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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