Reuters
West Indies Ramnaresh Sarwan (left) is welcomed back to the match by Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva (centre) yesterday. Sarwan had earlier left the field on a stretcher after he was hit on the head by a bouncer from pacer Dilhara Fernando.Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
CAPE TOWN:
THE WEST Indies' dream of winning the World Cup of cricket and breaking the drought that stretches back to 1979 was all but over when they lost by seven runs to Sri Lanka in an exciting day/night contest in Cape Town yesterday.
Set a victory target of 229 at a rate of 4.6 runs an over after limiting Sri Lanka to 228 for six in their 50 overs, the West Indies, batting under the floodlights of Newlands and against the left-arm swing bowling of Chaminda Vaas, were restricted to 222 for nine off their 50 overs.
A valiant, last ditch effort by Ramnaresh Sarwan who blasted two sixes and two fours while scoring 37 runs off 25 deliveries in the final overs was not enough for the West Indies. Sarwan gallantly returned to the wicket from hospital where he received one stitch after he failed to get away from a bouncer by pacer Dilhara Fernando. He was hit behind the right ear, and left the field on a stretcher.
With only 10 points in the bag and one match to go - against Kenya in Kimberley on Tuesday, the West Indies, who defeated South Africa in a thriller, lost to New Zealand, shared the points with Bangladesh in a match ruined by rain, and picked off Canada in their previous matches, are on the edge of elimination and hanging on only by their fingertips.
In fact, with only three teams from the group going through to the second round, with Sri Lanka now on 16 points, Kenya on 12 and tipped to defeat Bangladesh in their other remaining match, New Zealand on 12, to play Canada and expected to win, South Africa on 12 and Sri Lanka to play, only an upset or two or rain can save the West Indies as three teams appear set to finish with 16 points each. Victory over Kenya would leave the West Indies on 14 points and two short of making the cut.
With defeat in any one of their last two matches in the round all but ending their hope of moving on and really challenging for the title, the West Indies went into yesterday's match needing to win to stay alive. As confident as they appeared going into it, not many of their fans on hand believed they would have won it - especially as they stuck with the same three specialist bowlers who were caned by John Davison of Canada in their last outing. Then they lost the toss and were sentenced to bowl first in bright sunshine and generally ideal conditions for batting, and to bat last not only under lights but with a chill wind also blowing across the ground, also in perfect conditions for swing bowling.
In an impressive bowling performance, however, in what was easily their best effort of the tournament. Mervyn Dillon conceded only 30 runs off his quota of 10 overs, Vasbert Drakes took one wicket for 32 runs off his 10 overs, Pedro Collins conceded only 35 off his first seven, and Christopher Gayle with one for 42 off his 10, stifled the usually aggressive Sri Lankans, including captain Sanath Jayasuriya who uncharacteristically took 99 deliveries to score 66 runs. It left the West Indies, with a batting line-up of seven specialists, in with a chance of snatching victory on a ground where, in 22 limited-over matches there, the team batting second has only won seven times.
That, however, was not to be.
Apart from Gayle, who struck eight powerful boundaries while scoring 55 off 76 deliveries, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who fought doggedly for 65 off 90 deliveries, and Sarwan who finished on 47 not out, the West Indies batsmen failed to cope with Vaas. The Sri Lankan pacer revelled in the conditions and finished with four for 22 off his 10 overs, and offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan who baffled them while taking one for 26 off his 10.
In a beautiful opening spell, Vaas struck two vital blows early when he removed Wavell Hinds for two at 10 for one in the third over - the left-hander driving to leg and skying a catch into the covers, and when he took care of top batsman Brian Lara at 27 for two in the ninth - the left-hander playing forward, beaten through the air, and edging a catch to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.
Later on, with Sarwan leaving the field at 62 for two the delivery after he had rocked back and pulled the first delivery from Fernando to the mid-wicket boundary, with captain Carl Hooper going leg before wicket for a first-ball zero at 62 for three, and Gayle and Chanderpaul batting well and looking set to bat the West Indies to victory, Vaas returned, and with a little help from Muralitharan, sent the West Indies skidding towards defeat.
Gayle, confused by the swinging delivery and playing half-cock, was trapped leg before wicket. In the same over, Ridley Jacobs, arriving ahead of Ricardo Powell, stretched forward and nicked a catch to Sangakkara. Then in the next over, Muralitharan bowled Powell as the West Indies lost three wickets for one run in eight deliveries to dive from 121 for three to 122 for six in the 30th over.
With 107 runs needed off 20 overs, Chanderpaul and Drakes lifted the West Indies with a fighting seventh-wicket partnership of 47 before, with the West Indies looking 60 runs off eight overs, Chanderpaul went hunting, miscued a drive against offspinner de Silva, and lofted a catch to Atapattu on the long-on boundary.
That was 169 for seven in the 43rd over, that was when Sarwan returned, and after taking a few deliveries to get his bearings and immediately after the dismissal of Drakes at 186 for eight in the 47th over, he made a dash for glory.
With 43 runs needed off 23 deliveries, Sarwan hit left-arm spinner Jayasuriya for six over long-off and for a four to long-off, chipped and drove de Silva over mid-wicket for six, and at that stage, with 16 to win off 12 deliveries, it seemed possible.
Class is class, however, and Muralitharan sealed the West Indies fate by conceding only two runs in the 49th over and left them with 14 to win off the last one.
