Srilanka
vs
West Indies
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The Oval is shaping up as West Indies' lucky ground. In years gone by, it was the team's natural home-from-home, a place where the expat communities of Brixton and Lambeth could flood into the stands and watch the likes of Viv Richards and Michael Holding make England grovel. In more recent times, the venue has produced sharp spikes of achievement to atone for the team's general malaise, and the manner in which they dispatched England on Monday bore uncanny similarities to their twilight triumph over the same team and on the same ground in the 2004 Champions Trophy.
After that victory in a frenzied nine-over run-chase, Chris Gayle said he hoped his team would return here for their semi-final, regardless of their opponents. He has got his wish. After a tour in which West Indies did not record a single victory in any form of the game until their Twenty20 preparations got underway at the beginning of the month, they are now just two wins away from a turnaround so stunning it begs the question, was their early-tour apathy just a ploy? If so, they've caught their rivals superbly unawares so far.
Sri Lanka, however, will have no reason to fear any West Indian renaissance. No matter how brutal the blade of Chris Gayle, or how audacious Dwayne Bravo's shot selection, Sri Lanka have demonstrated time and again in this tournament that they have a player for all occasions. South Africa's unbeaten record is the one that has caught the eye for its efficiency but Sri Lanka are also unbeaten in five games out of five, with their only minor scare coming in a spirited display from the Irish.
In Tillakaratne Dilshan they have produced arguably the batsman of the tournament - his incredible scoop shot has added an extra revolution in the art of Twenty20 batting - but it is the incredible variety of their bowling attack that has squashed resistance so far. From the slingshots from Lasith Malinga to Ajantha Mendis's carrom balls to the timeless wiles of Muttiah Muralitharan, they can produce 12 overs out of 20 against which no liberties can safely be taken. Like Pakistan in the early 1990s, partnerships can be created, but once wickets start to fall, collapses rarely seem far behind.
West Indies are the more complex unit in terms of what makes them tick, but their cricket promises to be a thousand times less subtle. Gayle will smite and smite hard, Fidel Edwards, if fit, will hit the pitch and aim for breakthroughs. Nobody realistically believed they could turn their fortunes around so rapidly, but here they are. One match away from the game that could secure their redemption. Sri Lanka, by contrast, have been among the favourites all along. They remain that way for this contest, but only by a nose.