The top crop by Cricinfo includes Ajantha

The Dilshan: An audacious scoop, seemingly fraught with danger, played against the fast bowlers to send the ball over the wicketkeeper's head © AFP

1 Tillakaratne Dilshan: 317 runs, average 52.83

Dilshan took over the mantle of Sri Lanka's most dangerous opener from Sanath Jayasuriya, thrilling spectators and confounding bowlers with his innovative batting. He is one of cricket's first 360-degree batsmen, using the paddle and the reverse-hit to play the ball through the toughest of angles. And then there was the scoop - an audacious shot, seemingly fraught with danger, played against the fast bowlers to send the ball over the wicketkeeper's head. He combined flair with consistency and was the tournament's top-scorer by 79 runs. His best performance was in the semi-final against West Indies, against whom his unbeaten 96 single-handedly gave Sri Lanka a defendable target.

2 Chris Gayle: 193 runs, average 48.25

Gayle played a significant role in knocking Australia out of the competition. His brutal 88 off 50 balls at The Oval, which included monstrous sixes off Brett Lee on to Harleyford Road and on top of the Bedser stand, remains one of the spectacles of the tournament. He remained dormant during the next few matches, reserving his strong performance for the semi-final, but ended up carrying his bat against Sri Lanka after receiving feeble support from his team-mates.

3 Shahid Afridi: 176 runs, average 35.20, 11 wickets, economy-rate 5.32

Afridi's progress during the World Twenty20 mirrored Pakistan's: both started disastrously but peaked at the right time. Afridi scored 5, 13 and 0 in his first three innings, though his hustling legspin remained a reliable asset throughout. Pakistan's chances of making the semi-finals, though, appeared bleak until Afridi took a spectacular catch to dismiss Scott Styris in the Super Eight game against New Zealand. He was promoted to No. 3 in the batting order and saved his best performances - two half-centuries - for the semi-final and final. He was invaluable to Pakistan for his sensible batting, incisive yet economical bowling, and for his energy in the field.

4 Kumar Sangakkara: 177 runs, average 35.40

Sri Lanka had the best batsman and the most dangerous bowling attack of the tournament but their unbeaten run until the final was presided over by the calmest of leaders. It was hard to believe that the World Twenty20 was Sangakkara's first assignment as captain. He made astute decisions, promoting Dilshan up the order, and invested in his younger players - Angelo Mathews and Isuru Udana - by giving them responsibility. He even led by performance, scoring a half-century which prevented Sri Lanka from being crushed in the final. The team Sangakkara inherited had been through torment in the last few months but they showed little of those troubles on the field.

	Bravo played the role of back-up seamer successfully for West Indies, keeping the batsmen guessing with his mix © Getty Images

5 Kevin Pietersen: 154 runs, average 38.50

Pietersen did not have a spectacular World Twenty20 but he made significant contributions whenever England played a match they had to win to stay in the competition. He scored 58 off 38 balls against Pakistan to ensure England qualified from Group B after losing to Netherlands, he top-scored with 46 off 27 balls in a crucial Super Eights game against India to keep semi-final hopes alive, and biffed 31 off 19 balls in England's must-win match against West Indies.

6 AB de Villiers: 186 runs, average 37.20

de Villiers took the opportunity against Scotland to blast 79 off 34 balls but also displayed the skill to thrive on the toughest pitch of the tournament. The surface at Trent Bridge for the game against India was slow and gave the spinners a lot of turn and bounce. De Villiers, however, thrived against India's spinners, top-scoring with 63 off 50 balls, to lead South Africa to a match-winning total.

7 Dwayne Bravo 154 runs, average 38.50, 10 wickets, economy-rate 8.76

Bravo played the role of back-up seamer successfully for West Indies, keeping the batsmen guessing with his mix of yorkers, slower balls and slow bouncers. He also stepped up when Gayle failed or was injured, making useful contributions in the middle-order. Bravo saved his best for India, taking 4 for 34 and scoring 66 off 36 balls to lead a superb chase.

8 Wayne Parnell: 9 wickets, economy-rate 5.71

A little over a year ago, Parnell captained his side to the final of the under-19 World Cup and was tipped as one of the next big things in South African cricket. He did not disappoint and was their best bowler in the World Twenty20. Parnell bowled with pace and accuracy during the Powerplay and the final overs - the most difficult periods for a bowler in a Twenty20 game - and still finished with an economy-rate of less than six an over. He was outstanding in the high-pressure environment of the semi-final: having conceded 14 runs in his first over, he bounced back strongly to give only 12 off his next three.

9 Umar Gul: 13 wickets, economy-rate 6.44

The highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Gul switched from operating at the start of the innings to bowling his overs at a stretch towards the end. It was a master-stroke for Gul was able to swing the old ball, something no one apart from Lasith Malinga could do, and was able to bowl yorkers at will, which made him extremely hard to score heavily off. His spell of 5 for 6 in three overs against New Zealand was the best in Twenty20 internationals but it was his second over against South Africa in the semi-final, comprising six yorkers, which underlined his value in the shortest format.

	Umar Gul's spell of 5 for 6 in three overs against New Zealand was the best in Twenty20 internationals © Getty Images

10 Lasith Malinga: 12 wickets, economy-rate 7.14

Malinga is another yorker specialist but he added several strings to his bow during this tournament by perfecting a slow bouncer and a slow full toss. Delivered with his side-on action, the slow full toss was often not picked by the batsmen and the ball swerved away in the air to beat the bat. Brad Haddin was the first victim to have his stumps splayed in Malinga's first match and the ball brought him success throughout the tournament.

11 Ajantha Mendis: 12 wickets, economy-rate 5.50

Mendis was one of three reasons Sri Lanka were able to defend modest totals throughout the tournament but he was probably the best one. He took wickets against all opponents, except for Pakistan, and was exceptional in his first-ever outing against Australia, eliminating them from the competition with 3 for 20. He struck timely blows as well and made a habit of striking twice in an over - against West Indies, Ireland and New Zealand - to wreck run-chases just when Sri Lanka appeared vulnerable.

Twelfth men: Saeed Ajmal and Roelof van der Merwe

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Dilshan powers Sri Lanka to final : Ajantha took 2 for 9

Sri Lanka 158 for 5 (Dilshan 96*) beat West Indies 101 (Gayle 63*, Mathews 3-16, Muralitharan 3-29) by 57 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Tillakaratne Dilshan swings away another boundary during his unbeaten 96 © Associated Press

It will be an all-Asia final at the ICC World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record by crushing West Indies by 57 runs at The Oval. Tillakaratne Dilshan added another instalment to his breathtaking tournament with an unbeaten 96, the highest score of the event, as his team-mates struggled for momentum. Angelo Mathews then stunned West Indies with three wickets in the opening over before the spinners strangled the middle order, leaving Chris Gayle forlornly unbeaten on 63 as he carried his bat as no one else reached double figures.

After everything the two countries have been through, it is fitting that Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the final. However, unlike Pakistan's campaign which has burst into life after a slow start there has been a sense of destiny about Kumar Sangakkara's team reaching the Lord's showdown. Sri Lanka's run has been a triumph of mental strength and character and they now have the chance to mark their return to the international scene following the Lahore terror attack with a trophy.

They have played as a team throughout, but their position in the final was down to Dilshan's outstanding individual effort. His innings was the highest for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 and, in a quirky statistic, the innings briefly gave him the highest percentage of a completed innings before Gayle's lone hand nipped ahead. Dilshan looked set for the tournament's first century until losing the strike towards the end. However, with Dilshan set for the closing stages 60 runs came from the final five overs and Mathews playing a valuable four-ball cameo with two final-over boundaries.

However, that was only the start of Mathews role in the game. It was a surprise when he was handed the new-ball at the start of the tournament, but has been constant presence upfront. Nothing, though, has come close to matching this effort. With his second ball he removed Xavier Marshall - who had replaced Andre Fletcher follow three consecutive ducks - via an inside edge. It would become a common form of dismissal.

Two balls later Lendl Simmons was slightly unlucky when he went across his stumps and the ball ricocheted from his thigh pad onto leg stump. That was the end, though, and Mathews' third was the vital wicket of Dwayne Bravo as he too got an inside edge into middle stump. A stunned West Indies were 1 for 3.

Gayle, too his credit, played the situation and even opted to leave a couple of deliveries as he collect his thoughts. Normal service resumed with three boundaries when Lasith Malinga came on early to bowl the third over and Isuru Udana was swung for six over long-on. Then came the spinners and coupled with some brainless shot selection the game was over.

Ajantha Mendis trapped Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the sweep as he and Muttiah Muralitharan made the middle order prod and poke as though playing with their eyes closed. Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was dropped on 2 by Mendis running round from long-on, was soon held by the omnipresent Mathews and Kieron Pollard was made to look a novice when he was bowled off a wide. Mendis' 2 for 9 where Sri Lanka's most economical Twenty20 figures, but Murali's 3 for 29 reminded everyone of where the mystery began.

Sri Lanka's innings was a curious affair, none more so than when Sanath Jayasuriya was labouring over a 37-ball 24. He never looked comfortable, changing his bat four times, before top-edging to short fine-leg. That the opening stand was still worth a profitable 73 in 10.3 overs was down to how well Dilshan played. He drove, flicked and swept (but never quite scooped, although he tried) his way to a 30-ball half century while partners came and went.

Sangakkara was superbly caught at backward point and Mahela Jayawardene clipped straight to short-fine leg as three wickets fell for four in nine balls. It was down to Dilshan to give Sri Lanka's strong attack something to defend and he cashed in on two full tosses by Pollard. Placement was key to Dilshan's display and each time the bowlers strayed he managed to make the most of it.

The innings found some important momentum in the 17th over when Bravo was taken for 18 as he struggled to find his length. Dilshan cracked three boundaries and Chamara Silva then joined in when he swung the final delivery one bounce to the square-leg rope. Silva's contribution to a stand of 50 in six overs was just 11, before he fell trying to reverse hit Sulieman Benn, but it put Sri Lanka on track for the type of score they have regularly defended and from their they never looked like losers. One more victory on Sunday would complete one of cricket's greatest stories.

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

Sangakkara banks on team unity

Kumar Sangakkara: "The greatest plus for us in the dressing room is we don't have egos." © AFP

They are both called island teams but the similarity ends with the terminology. While the West Indies as we know it is a collection of disparate countries coming together largely for cricketing purposes, Sri Lanka is one nation. A collection of diverse ethnicities and faiths, yes - Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim - but one unit with allegiance to one flag. It's that sense of unity that has helped Sri Lanka's cricketers cope with terrorism - whether at home, in the 25-year civil war, or latterly in Lahore when the cricketers themselves came under attack.

"Our side has, from the very inception, been one unit," Kumar Sangakkara, the captain, said at The Oval, after an elaborate training session ahead of Friday's semi-final. The main reason his team was able to bond in the aftermath of Lahore, he said, was because the players had been a virtual family from their boyhood days. That close proximity helped ease the pain and recover easily. "We've played cricket with and against each other since we were 12 or 13 years old. Everyone lives in and around Colombo and we see each other almost every single day so it is easy for us to travel and bond."

Sangakkara said the advantage was that they backed each other and trusted every single player to do the job on the given day. "The greatest plus for us in the dressing room is we don't have egos."

It's easy to believe him. Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara himself - the most experienced players - have been able to transform their game and compete well along the youngsters in the side.

"We have amazing players who are absolutely lovely guys, keen on playing good cricket. That has helped the team grow," Sangakkara said. According to him, the newcomers didn't find it hard to find their feet due to the cordial atmosphere in the dressing room. "When new players come in, they like the environment. There is no added pressure on them, just an acceptance and a great deal of respect for the fact that they are good enough."

Despite having two bowlers in the top five of the wicket-takers' list in the tournament - Lasith Malinga (at No. 3 with 11 wickets) and Ajantha Mendis (No. 4 with 10) - Sri Lanka will be wary of Chris Gayle and his band, who have already played three games including one warm-up at their favourite hunting ground - the venue of their 2004 Champions Trophy victory.

In contrast, this would be Sri Lanka's first game in the tournament at The Oval but Sangakkara was not worried. "We should try and make sure we play to our strengths and pick our best side," he said. "We have played one-day cricket before and it is a pretty even track with good bounce and will stay consistent throughout."

Sri Lanka will bank on their lethal spin combination of Muralitharan and Mendis along with the swinging skills of Malinga to give them the upper hand. "If our spinners can get some bounce out of the track, that will be more effective and the batsmen may find it difficult to hit hard as the extra bounce," Sangakkara said.

West Indies will no doubt rely on the depth in the batting order packed with power hitters, but Sangakkara said the presence of a matchwinner like Mendis makes the contest even. The unpredictability of Mendis' finger spin has bamboozled some of the world's best batsmen and Sangakkara said it would be a dangerous weapon,. "He would be. Right? He would be on the top of my bowling list always."

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

No batsman has figured me out - Mendis

Ajantha Mendis: "I'm not interested in who I'm bowling to. I'm bowling my line and length and not concentrating on who is at the other end." © Associated Press

Three months to the day after he was discharged from a Colombo hospital, head swathed in bandages, Ajantha Mendis claimed 3 for 9 and Man-of-the-Match honours in the World Twenty20 Super Eights match against New Zealand. The wounds from the Lahore terror attack may have left physical scars, but they have done nothing to diminish his spin-bowling wizardry.

Mendis' story is the most remarkable of these World Twenty20 championships. After undergoing two rounds of surgery to remove shrapnel from his scalp and back in March - procedures that required 17 stitches - Mendis has returned to international cricket as if nothing has been amiss. The headaches he suffered in the weeks after the shootout have now been transferred to opposing batsmen, who have struggled to reconcile with his pace, flight and variations throughout the tournament. The nightmares of the Gadaffi Stadium are giving way to a dream-run in England.

Entering Friday's semi-final against West Indies at The Oval, Mendis has claimed an astonishing 10 wickets at 10 runs apiece in five World Twenty20 matches. His economy rate (5.55) is the best of all Sri Lankan bowlers, and his list of victims include luminaries such as Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ross Taylor. Coupled with Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan, his deeds have gone far to maintaining Sri Lanka's perfect tournament record ahead of Friday's match.

But the question remains: just how has Mendis summoned the mental strength to not only contend with the physical and emotional trauma of the terror attack, but thrive on cricket's most demanding stage so soon after? In shy, almost inaudible tones, the diminutive spinner says that, to him, the three-month journey from Lahore to London is not especially noteworthy.

"It is nothing special," Mendis told Cricinfo. "I have got together with the team. Murali has been helping me along. It has been going along nicely with the team-mates."

Others have been more forthcoming with their praise for Mendis. Chris Gayle, whom he will face on Friday, believes his Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate could hold the key to Sri Lanka's hopes of claiming their first major tournament success since the 1996 World Cup.

"He came onto the scene with a bang and he's been brilliant ever since," Gayle told Cricinfo. "You saw him in the game against Australia - he's a bowler who can come in and break partnerships and take key wickets for his team. I batted against him in the nets (at the IPL) , and he's not the easiest bowler to hit out of the park. He's got so many deliveries. You have to back yourself and play according to the situation."

Mendis, for his part, does not appear rattled at the prospect of facing the tournament's most destructive batsman at The Oval. It was at this ground that Gayle blasted Brett Lee onto Harleyford Road and the Bedser Stand roof within the space of three deliveries a fortnight ago, thus beginning the West Indies' roller-coaster journey into the World Twenty20 semi-finals. Mendis, though, was not concerned with the past deeds of the West Indian skipper.

"I'm not interested in who I'm bowling to," Mendis said, when asked about Gayle. "I'm bowling my line and length and not concentrating on who is at the other end. I study the batsmen and the situation of the match and the wicket, and I adjust my bowling accordingly. I'm comfortable with what I'm bowling. No batsman has figured me out yet."

No one has doubted Mendis' ability to confound batsmen. Since making his international debut in Trinidad last year, the 24-year-old has excelled in all three formats with bustling pace, low trajectory and Johnny Gleeson-style flicks of the finger. But it was not until this tournament that the world witnessed the resolve and courage of Sri Lanka's most exciting spin-bowling prospect since a young Muttiah Muraliatharan burst onto the international scene 14 years ago. Win or lose on Friday, Mendis has earned the respect of all.

"The tournament has better than I expected," he said. "I have been doing well since the first game, and I hope to continue that."

Alex Brown is deputy editor of Cricinfo

New Zealand flounder against Mendis

Ajantha Mendis managed to befuddle the New Zealand batsmen despite Daniel Vettori's claim that they picked him © Associated Press

With all the technology now used to analyse cricket it's amazing that anything remains a mystery, but it appears no amount of slow-motion replays and computer programmes can help batsmen unravel the skills of Ajantha Mendis. Another magical spell, this time of 3 for 9, ended a promising start to New Zealand's run-chase even though Daniel Vettori was adamant his players knew what was coming at them.

Mendis' crucial impact came in his second over - the ninth of the innings - when he lured Ross Taylor into an ugly heave across the line and then beat Scott Styris' prod with one that held its line. He later returned to remove Peter McGlashan and didn't concede a boundary in his three overs - such was Sri Lanka's dominance he didn't have to bowl his full quota. Each time Kumar Sangakkara's team has been tested in this tournament, it has had the bowling to withstand the pressure.

It left Vettori in phlegmatic mood after a tournament where their batting failed to fire. "I think we played the first six overs pretty well and I was fairly happy with our position," he said. "Unfortunately, which makes it tough, a lot of guys picked Mendis today, but he still bowled so well that it was difficult to score from him and you saw the turn he got which made it even harder. We can sit here and blame our players - and we will work hard on our reviews - but you still have to admire the quality of bowling on display."

Mendis has been on the international scene for a year after making his debut in West Indies and the library of footage of him flicking his carrom ball and varying his pace is growing. That, though, has been of little help to the growing list of batsmen who have been left looking a little foolish.

"The guys picked him, I don't think he's a mystery bowler just a very good bowler," Vettori added. "It's the same with [Muttiah] Muralitharan. Over the years guys have been able to decipher what he bowls but he's still so good that it's difficult. It's the same with a number of bowlers around the world - once you've picked them it's a great thing, but if they're still good enough to beat then it's very tough."

And it isn't just opposition batsmen who are left befuddled. Even Mendis' team-mates, which include some of the best players of spin in the world, have been left floundering during net sessions. "He still gets us sometimes," Mahela Jayawardene said with a smile. "Too many things come out of his fingers so it's very difficult to keep track of it. He's something special, but the important thing is he has maintained his dignity. He's got great support from Murali and it's an ideal atmosphere for a young spinner to come through."

To make life even tougher for New Zealand it wasn't only Mendis they had to contend with, but also the experience of Muralitharan and the ever-increasing variety produced by Lasith Malinga. Although they welcomed back Ross Taylor - albeit not 100% fit after his hamstring injury - and were boosted by the availability of Brendon McCullum, Sri Lanka always held that X-factor.

Vettori was honest enough to admit that the batting had struggled badly with the highest score against a major team being their 127 at Lord's, when they lost to South Africa by one run. Only against Scotland, when they knocked off 90 in six overs, and against Ireland where they racked up 198 has the order come close to its potential.

"It has been difficult, but we have been lucky with a fortunate draw which meant we could win just two games before today against Associate teams and still have a chance of making the semi-finals. In a lot of a ways that probably wasn't right." Vettori said. "We were at full strength [today] apart from Jesse and, we still had the opportunity today to turn up and win the game so we are devastated.

"For a group of guys who had such high expectations, especially of our batting order, our highest score was about 120 and that's just not good enough."

Sri Lanka have no such concerns with their form. They have scored the runs required and even totals that haven't appeared too daunting grow in value when placed alongside the attack that will defend them.

"We have a very good bowling attack and if our batsmen back themselves to get the runs on the board or chase them down I'm confident we can go all the way," Jayawardene said, while cautioning that the job wasn't done. "We set ourselves goals coming into the tournament and now we have two more goals. We just need to stay calm and try and get another win to get into the final."

With the form they have shown it will take a commanding performance to bring them down and a batsman to master the international man of mystery. But ominously for anyone who feels they can conquer Mendis, there was a promise of more to come as Jayawardene translated for his team-mate. "He feels because batsmen aren't familiar with him he'll stick to what he does, but he has a few plans up his sleeve." The tricks he already has are working just fine at the moment.

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

Sri Lanka march to semi-finals in style : Ajantha took 3 for 9

Sri Lanka 158 for 5 (Dilshan 48, Jayawardene 41*, Sangakkara 35) beat New Zealand 110 (Guptill 43, Mendis 3-9, Udana 2-17) by 48 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ajantha Mendis transformed the game by taking two key wickets in four balls © Associated Press

Sri Lanka's bowlers once again made up for their batsmen's inability to post a large total by slicing through New Zealand at Trent Bridge, securing a 48-run victory to cement their spot in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20. New Zealand challenged the target of 159 briefly but Ajantha Mendis turned the game Sri Lanka's way by dismissing Ross Taylor and Scott Styris within the space of four balls.

New Zealand began their chase brightly with Aaron Redmond biffing 20 runs off Sanath Jayasuriya's first over, the second of the innings. He blasted the ball past mid-on, carved it over cover, blazed another through extra cover before smacking the final over the long-off boundary. The versatility of the bowling, though, meant New Zealand's batsmen had to keep their wits about them and no one was able to stay long enough to cause significant damage.

Isuru Udana struck first, inducing a top-edge from Brendon McCullum to point before Lasith Malinga suckered Redmond into chipping a slower full toss to square leg. New Zealand, however, were decently placed at 64 for 2 after eight overs. Their position deteriorated rapidly in the next over. Mendis first delivered a wide ball from well behind the crease and had Ross Taylor stumped, he then beat Scott Styris' bat with a carrom ball and knocked off stump out of the ground. New Zealand had slipped to 66 for 4 and never recovered. Only Martin Guptill offered resistance, hitting the ball sweetly down the ground, during his innings of 43. The New Zealand challenge ended when he flat-batted Jayasuriya straight to the fielder at deep square leg.

Sri Lanka's bowlers had once again proved that they could make a fight of what ever total their batsmen gave them to defend. They were given 158 today, thanks to a curiously conventional innings from Tillakaratne Dilshan and substantial contributions from the experienced pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

Prime Numbers 2 Number of consecutive matches that a Sri Lankan opener scored a duck. Dilshan had one in the last match and Jayasuriya today. 3 Number of batsmen scoring more than 100 runs in the tournament for New Zealand. Brendon McCullum with 107 runs tops the list. 3 for 9 Ajantha Mendis' bowling figures, the best by a Sri Lankan in the tournament. 34 Number of fours hit by Tillakaratne Dilshan in the tournament, 12 more than the next best.

Daniel Vettori emphasized the importance of separating Sri Lanka's explosive openers early and he sought to do that by opening the bowling with the offspinner Nathan McCullum. The ploy worked immediately for Jayasuriya top-edged an attempted sweep to short fine leg, leaving Sri Lanka on 3 for 1. New Zealand's start grew better when Chamara Silva, who was promoted to No. 3, was caught at mid-on off a leading edge as he tried to close the face against Kyle Mills. Sri Lanka were losing direction at 25 for 2 when Sangakkara joined Dilshan for a 62-run stand for the third wicket. Sangakkara took the initiative, driving Ian Butler to the cover boundary off the front and back foot to begin his innings with consecutive fours. He added a third in the over by edging Butler to third man. Dilshan, who had made a scratchy start, ensured that Sri Lanka cashed in during the last over of the Powerplay. He pulled Mills to the midwicket boundary before cutting him twice through backward point for fours. Sri Lanka scored 24 off the last two Powerplay overs and got the innings back on track, reaching 51 for 2 after six overs. Dilshan, however, played neither the scoop over the wicketkeeper not the reverse swats past short fine leg, shots that have mocked the opposing captain's field placements in this tournament. Instead he resorted to more orthodox strokes - driving Scott Styris' first ball to the cover boundary - before he was caught at cover by Brendon McCullum off Vettori for 48 off 37 balls.

Sri Lanka, however, did not lose momentum after Dilshan's wicket because Jayawardene continued batting as fluently as he did against Ireland. He played his trademark inside out drives over cover, lofted a free hit from Vettori over the press box, and elegantly raced to 41 off 29 balls. His most unique shot of the day was a reverse paddle of Jacob Oram. What made it special was that Jayawardene hit the ball with the back of the bat and sent it speeding past short third man.

The result ensured Sri Lanka finished first in Group F, winning all three matches in the Super Eight. New Zealand, whose World Twenty20 campaign was blighted by a bizarre succession of injuries, exit the tournament having beaten only Ireland in the second round.

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

The shot stuff

Mahela Jayawardene may well be the next ambassador for the double-faced bat © Getty Images

Tactic of the day

Opening the bowling with spin is nothing new in Twenty20, but the move had contrasting outcomes for the two teams. New Zealand threw the ball to Nathan McCullum for the first over and removed Sanath Jayasuriya with his third delivery via a top-edged sweep, and Jayasuriya's day didn't get any better when he was asked to bowl the second over of the run-chase. He was taken for 20 by Aaron Redmond who followed three fours with crunching six over long-off. Jayasuriya was relieved of his duties until the 11th, however when he returned for a second spell he claimed the key wicket of Martin Guptill.

Absence of the day

It remains to be seen how long it takes for Tillakaratne Dilshan's new shot to gain an official name, but the surprising aspect of his well-paced 48 in this game was that the scoop didn't make an appearance. Instead he opted for the more conventional methods of scoring including three fours in an over off Kyle Mills. Surely his own invention would appear at some point - maybe after his half-century - but on 48 he drove a catch to cover.

New shot of the day

However, the absence of a Dilshan special didn't mean that Sri Lanka's innings was without some deft and innovative strokeplay. In the final over of the innings Mahela Jayawardene was shaping to play the reverse sweep at Jacob Oram, but instead of turning the bat around to use the face of the blade he flicked the ball away with the back of the bat. A double-faced bat has been invented by one of the bat manufacturers - and was used briefly by David Warner in Australia - so maybe they should sign up Jayawardene as their next ambassador.

Aggressive move of the day

After Vettori had removed Dilshan in the 12th over the new batsman, Jayawardene, was greeted by a slip as the New Zealand captain went on the attack. It would have been easy to keep the field set back with Sri Lanka's run rate at a healthy, but this tournament has shown how important wickets are at stemming a batting order. Although the move didn't pay off for Vettori, and was soon dispensed with as Jayawardene hit his stride, it was a welcome show of intent even if by the end of the game the New Zealand captain was cutting a forlorn figure.

Free-hit of the day

How often do you see a batsman get carried away at the prospect of a free-hit and swing themselves of their feet with little effect? Mahela Jayawardene showed how you should deal with a free-hit when he majestically straight drove Daniel Vettori into the second tier of the Radcliffe Road stand. There was no wild mow, no attempt to smash the cover off the ball, just a proper cricket shot with the full reward.

Over of the day

For a captain to have so many strike bowlers capable of changing a match is a huge advantage for Kumar Sangakkara. Even when the batting side appears to be building momentum he knows he has someone who can make quick breakthroughs and, not for the first time (nor the last), it was Ajantha Mendis who turned the game Sri Lanka's way. With the first ball of his second over he had Ross Taylor stumped, trying a massive heave into the leg side, and three balls later scooted one past Scott Styris' outside edge to uproot the off stump. Mendis doesn't actually turn the ball much, but most batsmen still don't have a clue how to play him and he is a trump card for Sri Lanka.

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

Batting absentees worry Vettori

Brendon McCullum is the only New Zealand player with first-hand insight into the wiles of Ajantha Mendis, his Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate in the IPL © AFP

Daniel Vettori captured the plight of New Zealand's World Twenty20 campaign in a single line on the eve of their knockout Super Eights game against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge. He had said at the start of the tournament that New Zealand's strength was in their top order and now "potentially three of those top four [batsmen] might not play one of our most important games" in the competition.

Vettori was referring to the loss of Jesse Ryder from the entire tournament because of a groin problem, and the possible absences of Ross Taylor, who strained his hamstring, and Brendon McCullum, the latest addition to the casualty ward, from a game New Zealand must win to keep their semi-final hopes alive. McCullum sustained a broken bone and damaged ligament after a collision with Neil Broom off the last ball during the defeat to Pakistan. He hasn't been ruled out of Tuesday's game, though, and his team-mates are hoping that he responds well to an injection.

"It's another injury we desperately didn't need," Vettori said. "It's not easy. We didn't expect to call players in from outside the 15 and we didn't expect to only pick from 11 in a couple of games." If McCullum isn't fit and Taylor is, then it will be a straight swap, but if both are unfit, it's likely that Neil Broom will come into the XI and Martin Guptill will open the innings.

New Zealand will be desperate for McCullum to play though, for more than the obvious reason that he is one of their most explosive batsmen. McCullum's the only player with first-hand insight into the wiles of Sri Lankan offspinner Ajantha Mendis, his Kolkata Knight Riders team-mate in the IPL. None of the other New Zealand batsmen have faced Mendis before and how they handle his four overs could be one of the decisive factors of the game. Teams have struggled when facing Mendis for the first time: India were one of the first, during the Test tour of Sri Lanka in 2008, and Australia were the most recent, losing 3 for 20 to the spinner during their group match in the World Twenty20.

"Brendon has been trying to offer as much insight as possible," Vettori said. "He's [Mendis] going to be an immensely difficult prospect along with Murali and Malinga as well. It's a total package for them [Sri Lanka] in terms of their bowling line-up but Mendis is probably the newest one for us. We're leaning on Brendon a lot for his experience of him in the IPL."

Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan need only the tiniest of openings to bury the opposition. They are capable of triggering a collapse at any stage, irrespective of how well set the batsmen are, but are at their most dangerous against new batsmen. "If we lose wickets through those middle stages then the new guys who haven't seen them [Mendis and Murali] before are going to be put under a heap of pressure," Vettori said. "So if we can be none or one down when they come on to bowl it's going to make a massive difference."

And then there's the threat posed by Lasith Malinga. His fast and deadly accurate yorkers have been almost impossible to get away during the final overs and he's developed the knack of splaying the stumps with a slower full toss as well. Malinga's also had success against New Zealand in the past, taking 20 wickets in four Tests against them and nine in six ODI innings. Vettori, though, said New Zealand had studied how players like Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist succeeded against Malinga's low unorthodox action and hoped his batsmen would be able to replicate the method tomorrow.

"I think Australia took him for 36 runs in his four-over spell [in the group match]," Vettori said. "So there are options to get him away, there are ways of doing it. Like most of batting it becomes an individual thing and you have to tailor your game to what he's doing."

New Zealand's semi-final chances hinge on how they counter Sri Lanka's potent bowling line-up - Vettori called Murali, Malinga and Mendis "three of the best Twenty20 bowlers in the world" - despite a depleted batting arsenal.

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Jayawardene saves Sri Lanka's blushes : Ajantha took 2-22

Sri Lanka 144 for 9 (Jayawardene 78, Cusack 4-18) beat Ireland 135 for 7 (Malinga 2-18) by nine runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mahela Jayawardene was the only Sri Lankan to dominate Ireland's bowlers © Getty Images

Mahela Jayawardene saved his team's blushes with 78 from 53 balls, as Sri Lanka moved a step closer to the semi-finals with an awkward but ultimately comfortable nine-run victory over the unfancied Irish at Lord's. After winning the toss and batting first, Sri Lanka were restricted to a modest total of 144 for 9 by a disciplined Ireland bowling performance in which the medium-pacer Alex Cusack excelled with 4 for 18 in three overs. In reply, Will Porterfield and Niall O'Brien raised the prospect of a famous win by adding 59 for the first wicket, but the variety and experience of Sri Lanka's attack eventually proved overwhelming.

At Trent Bridge on Thursday, Ireland had been no match for New Zealand as they slumped to an 83-run defeat, but this time they remained competitive even after a damaging double setback in the 15th over of their reply, when Ajantha Mendis removed both the dangerous O'Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, in the space of four deliveries. Ireland carried on swinging until the bitter end, even as Lasith Malinga further undermined their chase with consecutive yorkers to bowl Trent Johnston and Andre Botha, but their final requirement of 18 runs from Malinga's final over of the innings unsurprisingly proved too much.

For Sri Lanka, Ireland's challenge came as an unpleasant but timely jolt after their impressive progress in the tournament to date. Their aspirations of a 200-plus total were knocked as early as the second ball of the match, as Tillakaratne Dilshan - their batsman of the tournament so far - top-edged the recalled Boyd Rankin into the safe gloves of Niall O'Brien, running round to square leg.

Rankin, who had been rested during Ireland's 83-run drubbing against New Zealand, caused problems galore with his extra lift off a good length, and when Johnston at the Pavilion End removed Kumar Sangakkara for 3 from 10, courtesy of another smart catch from O'Brien, Sri Lanka had been restricted 28 for 2 in their six Powerplay overs - second only to England's 25 for 3 against South Africa as the slowest start to any innings in the tournament so far.

Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya pieced together the innings with a third-wicket stand of 67 in 49 balls, but it was a becalmed performance by their usual pyrotechnic standards, and it wasn't until the 11th over of the innings that they finally scored their first and only six, as Jayawardene cracked Cusack over midwicket.

Prime Numbers 78 Mahela Jayawardene's score, his highest in Twenty20 internationals. In his last seven innings in this format he had totalled 73 runs 3 for 42 Combined figures for the Sri Lankan spinners in the nine overs they bowled 0 Number of half-centuries for Ireland in the tournament. The highest score by an Irish batsman is 40, by Niall O'Brien 4 for 18 Alex Cusack's bowling figures, the best by an Irish bowler. He is the only one to take four in a Twenty20 international, and has done it twice 5.68 Economy rate of Muttiah Muralitharan in the tournament. Among bowlers who have sent down at least ten overs, only two - Wayne Parnell and Shahid Afridi - have done better 4 Number of consecutive wins for Sri Lanka in this tournament

Jayasuriya, so dangerous when offered width, didn't clear the ropes once in his run-a-ball 27, an innings that came to an end when he went down on one knee to slog-sweep the spin of McCallan, and was adjudged lbw much to his chagrin. McCallan, who bowled with guile and deception, then added a second wicket one over later, when Chamara Silva this time connected as he swung across the line, but picked out Rankin on the square-leg fence.

With overs running out, Sri Lanka squandered their wickets with a puff of aggressive smears. Jehan Mubarak skied Cusack to Niall O'Brien, running round to short cover, and Cusack followed up three balls later with the key scalp of Jayawardene, who gave himself too much room for the cut, and was bowled with 12 deliveries remaining. Nuwan Kulasekera clobbered his third delivery, from Rankin, to John Mooney at long-off, before Angelo Mathews stepped outside the line to sweep and was bowled behind his legs by Cusack.

One delivery later, and Cusack had four when Muttiah Muralitharan charged down the track to be stumped, and he could even have claimed an incredible fifth from the last ball of the innings, had Kevin O'Brien at long-on managed to intercept an Ajantha Mendis slog that bounced away for four.

With a manageable target of 145 in his sights, Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, took it upon himself to launch their reply in style, as he hoisted Mathews through midwicket for four, before milking Kulasekera for three boundaries in six balls, including a guided cut through a packed off-side field and a sweetly timed sweep from consecutive deliveries.

At the other end, however, disaster very nearly struck when Niall O'Brien backed up too far as Porterfield belatedly turned down a quick single to short cover, and ricked his troublesome right ankle as he stopped, slid and flung himself on all fours back into his crease. During a lengthy delay it appeared as though O'Brien's tournament might be over, but eventually he returned to his feet and, without the aid of a runner, set about taking the attack back to Sri Lanka.

Although he was hobbling visibly, O'Brien's first shot in anger after his injury was a spectacular reverse pull off Mendis that belied any apparent lack of mobility, and he followed up with two fours in two balls as Mathews returned to the attack in the ninth over - the first a crisp cover-drive, the second a more fortuitous inside-edge. Though Porterfield was caught behind two balls later off Muralitharan, his 31 from 29 balls had given Ireland a platform to attack, with 86 still required from the final 10.5 overs.

Murali, however, proved typically tough to get away, as did Jayasuriya, whose solitary over went for seven runs. When Malinga served up a brilliant second over of yorkers, bouncers and genuine pace, Ireland's requirement had leapt to exactly ten an over. Andrew White made good on that demand when he pulled Kulasekera over backward square for six before drilling him through the covers for four one ball later.

But before the over was finished, White's aggression brought about his downfall as Kumar Sangakkara snaffled a top-edged scoop off the pads, and Ireland's hopes were extinguished in the next over when both O'Brien brothers fell in the space of four balls. Kevin O'Brien attempted a wild slog through midwicket but steepled a swirling catch to Tillakaratne Dilshan, before Niall charged at a short ball that tweaked past his blade, and Sangakkara completed a regulation stumping.

After that bodyblow, Ireland's challenge fell away, although Mooney kept them fighting to the bitter end with 31 not out from 21 balls. After their disappointing performance against New Zealand, this was a timely display against one of the acknowledged tournament favourites, but now there will only be pride to play for in their final Super Eight fixture against Pakistan later this week.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

Jayasuriya and Dilshan set up victory : Ajantha took 2-25

Sri Lanka 192 for 5 (Jayasuriya 81, Dilshan 74, Simmons 4-19) beat West Indies 177 for 5 (Bravo 51, Mendis 2-25) by 15 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Sanath Jayasuriya ensured that the Trent Bridge crowd had its fill of massive hits © Associated Press

Sanath Jayasuriya may be turning 40 at the end of the month but his demolition of the West Indian attack, which paved the way for Sri Lanka's 15-run victory at Trent Bridge, was as violent as any innings played during his heydays. In the absence of Chris Gayle, Jayasuriya ensured that the crowd had its fill of massive hits, blitzing 81 off only 47 balls, and his occupation of centre stage was so complete that Tillakaratne Dilshan's second half-century of the tournament was largely overshadowed until after his dismissal.

The West Indian bowlers made novice errors while bowling to Jayasuriya. They often gave him too much width, allowing him to free his muscled forearms and launch the ball over the off side, instead of cramping him for the room he loves. They bowled too short and too straight as well, giving Jayasuriya the space to lift the ball off his pads. Denesh Ramdin, West Indies' captain for the day, was forced to make frequent bowling changes but none of his bowlers were able to break Sri Lanka's opening stand before it caused severe damage. Jayasuriya and Dilshan added 124 for the first wicket in 12.3 overs, and Dilshan took charge thereafter to steer Sri Lanka towards a match-winning total.

Jayasuriya's innings today ended a period of poor Twenty20 form: he had a quiet IPL and his scores in three innings since arriving in England were 26, 1 and 2. He certainly didn't look out of touch today, though, tearing into Fidel Edwards' first over by launching the first ball through cover and the third over cover for fours, before pulling a short fifth ball powerfully over deep backward square leg.

He was aggressive against all comers, slashing Dwayne Bravo in his first over to the boundary, sweeping and reverse sweeping Sulieman Benn, and powering Kieron Pollard to the long-off boundary. And when Edwards returned after everyone else had failed to take a wicket, Jayasuriya attacked him once again, carving the first ball over the point boundary, pulling two short balls for fours behind square, before chipping a wide one past the wicketkeeper. Edwards' two overs cost 37 runs and he wasn't given the ball again.

Jayasuriya dominated the early scoring, contributing 32 out of Sri Lanka's first 40 runs, but Dilshan eventually emerged from his shadow with astonishing improvisation. He moved across his stumps to Pollard's first ball, bent down low, ready to play the scoop and sent it flying over the wicketkeeper's head for four. Dilshan may not have even been looking at the ball as he made contact but it was no fluke. He had played it against Australia and he did it again against Lendl Simmons. Dilshan went on to cut Pollard over point for six and a four during a first over that cost 19. He rattled Pollard, forcing the bowler to abort his run-up by getting into position extremely early to repeat his scoop, and even reverse-swatted Benn for four. He switched to a higher gear after Jayasuriya was dismissed, finished with 74 off 47 balls.

West Indies withered under the onslaught: Benn dropped Dilshan at short third man and Andre Fletcher let one pass him on the fine-leg boundary. The last bowler Ramdin turned to, however, proved to be their best. Simmons first struck in the 13th over, trapping Jayasuriya who attempted a reverse-hit when a century was there for the taking, and his next big wicket, that of Dilshan, was also a result of a failed reverse-sweep. Those two strikes from Simmons helped keep Sri Lanka under 200.

Chasing 193 is a daunting task but even more so when a team is without their most dangerous hitter. West Indies had rested Gayle, who suffered a knee injury during his razing of Australia, because this match was, for all practical purposes, a dead rubber. They were dented further when their other half-centurion against Australia, Andre Fletcher, lost his leg stump to a slower full toss from Lasith Malinga.

Simmons, who opened in Gayle's absence, showed some fight, mowing Ajantha Mendis to the midwicket boundary and reverse-hitting him past short fine leg. West Indies' cause was aided by sloppiness in the field: Jayasuriya and Malinga both conceded five wides and Xavier Marshall's 14 included five overthrows.

West Indies had raced to 65 for 1 after six overs but a passage of play during which they lost three wickets in seven balls ruined their chances of victory. Muttiah Muralitharan landed the first punch, inducing Simmons to edge to first slip, and Mendis struck twice in an over, getting rid of Marshall and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. West Indies had slipped to 73 for 4 and even though Bravo, who reached his 50 off 37 balls with a thunderous six over long-on off Malinga, and Ramnaresh Sarwan shared a 77-run partnership, the innings had lost too much momentum and there was always too much lost ground for the batsmen to make up. Sarwan and Pollard startd the final over needing 28 but managed only 12.

The victory put Sri Lanka on top of Group C, the toughest pool in the preliminary round.

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Australia beaten and bemused

It started with a third-ball duck and ended in a leg-side wide. Those were the events that bookended Australia's lamentable three-day ICC World Twenty20 campaign, and symbolised the struggles encountered by Ricky Ponting's men in comprehensive defeats to West Indies and Sri Lanka.

Australia on Monday suffered the ignominy of becoming the third team after Scotland and Bangladesh to be dumped from the pool stages of the tournament, while the likes of the Netherlands and Ireland remain. Theirs was a campaign rocked by the expulsion of Andrew Symonds, blighted by indisciplined bowling (24 extras in 34.3 overs) and ultimately thwarted by the orthodoxy of their batsmen in a format that rewards power and creativity.

In many ways, the result was not surprising. Ponting's side had lost three consecutive Twenty20 matches entering the tournament, and were cast into by far the most difficult group around. But this is Australia - a team bearing the same colours, if not cast, to that which vanquished all before it in the preceding decade - and the expectation shouldered by their world-beating forebears is now a burden for a new generation to carry.

Few outside its own borders will mourn Australia's early exit. Indeed, the image of jubilant Sri Lankans dancing and singing down Bridgford Road, which runs adjacent to Trent Bridge, was no doubt replicated in bars and living rooms the world over by fans still scarred from Australia's era of dominance. But even the most calloused of hearts felt a twinge of sympathy for Ponting at the post-match press conference, where his utter despondency and frustration was eerily similar to the demeanour he sported the last time he fronted the cameras in Nottingham - following a series-deciding Ashes defeat four years ago.

"I'd like to be able to tell you I knew what was going on," he said. "That's five international Twenty20 games we've lost in a row. That's a bit of a worrying trend for our team and our group. I couldn't have been happier with what we've done leading into the tournament, everything was spot on. But when the big moments have come along we've just stumbled.

"The group we're in, with the West Indies and Sri Lanka, we knew that they were two very dangerous sides and if we made mistakes they'd make us pay. That's certainly the way it's turned out. I can't tell you how disappointed I am that we're not through to the next stage, for the reason that I can't really understand why. Everything was going along so nicely for us and now we find ourselves out of the tournament altogether. That's it."

In the aftermath of Australia's seven-wicket walloping at the hands of the West Indies on Saturday, Ponting stressed the importance of positive first overs. So when David Warner steered Angelo Mathews' third offering of the afternoon into the sure hands of Tillakaratne Dilshan at point - the lowlight of an over in which the Australians managed a solitary run - the captain's exasperation must have been palpable.

Ponting channelled some of that frustration towards Lasith Malinga, whom he glanced and pummelled for three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over. But the red mist would eventually prove his undoing. Charging a faster, flatter delivery from Ajantha Mendis, Ponting's anger turned to despair as the ball cannoned into his leg stump, taking with it much of the momentum he had built during his short, sharp innings of 25 from 15 deliveries.

Symonds loss hurt - Ponting Ricky Ponting conceded the eleventh hour loss of Andrew Symonds severely disrupted the balance of the Australian side at the World Twenty20. Symonds was expelled from the touring party for breaking a clause in his personal contract with Cricket Australia in which he was forbidden from drinking in public while on national duty. "It upset a lot of our structures around the team," Ponting said. "Andrew is one of those guys who had just been over in the IPL for the last couple of months. He's one of the best individual players in this form of the game anywhere in the world, so when you do lose somebody like that out of your side it does throw a spanner in the works, for sure. "But we're not going to use that as an excuse. We had 14 other guys here who had to step up in his absence, and we've been good enough to do that in the past when we've lost some of our better players out of the side. Over the last few days we haven't been good enough. "I haven't actually heard any talk about Symo not being around in the last few days so I would like to think that hasn't played on the minds of any of our players, but when you lose someone of the quality and the calibre of him out of your Twenty20 team, it certainly leaves a big hole."

Thereafter, the innings largely belonged to Mendis. Playing his first match against Australia in any form of the game, Sri Lanka's modern-day Johnny Gleeson completely befuddled Michael Clarke and the brothers Hussey en route to the sparkling figures of 3 for 20 from four overs.

Mendis' strength lay in his aerial mastery, more so than his lateral movement off the pitch, as evidenced by his bowling of Ponting and trapping of Shane Watson (22 off 21) and Michael Hussey (one off five) leg-before. The orthodoxy of Hussey and Clarke (11 off 15) proved no match for the unique trajectories and bustling pace of Mendis, and created a hole from which the Australians would always struggle to emerge.

Mendis' union with Muralitharan was largely responsible for Australia's torpid tally of 40 for 4 between the fifth and 14th overs, and created a pressurised atmosphere which Malinga and Isuru Udana would later capitalise on. Both quicks used deft changes of pace to deny the Australian batsmen any sense of rhythm, and if not for Mitchell Johnson's rearguard 28 not out off 13 balls - in which he took 19 of the 21 runs to come from Muralitharan's final over - Ponting's men may have been in for another Windies-style humiliation.

As it was, the Australians were restricted to a total of 159 for 9 - ten runs shy of the total the West Indians devoured on Saturday - and victory never seemed likely; particularly after Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara pounded 11 boundaries in Sri Lanka's first 50 runs of the innings.

The ten players chosen in Australia's Twenty20 and Ashes squads will now be subjected to the galling experience of remaining in England while the World Twenty20 plays out around them. Their immediate plans involve an extended stay in Leicester, and an attempt to ensure the bitter disappointment of their three-day World Twenty20 campaign doesn't metastasise into a problem that corrupts their Ashes campaign.

"Next week I don't think there'll be too much freshening up," Ponting said. "I reckon we might get flogged a bit by the coach next week. We need to talk about it and we need to address some of the issues and some of the areas where we've been so deficient in the last couple of games. We need to talk about that tonight and get that done because some of the guys will be out of here soon.

"When the specialist Twenty20 players do leave then we do have a real focus on just cricket. There will be nothing else to think about, nothing else to talk about. That will be my job, to make sure we get over this loss pretty quickly and start focussing on the red balls and the white clothing for the next few months."

Alex Brown is deputy editor of Cricinfo

Sangakkara, Ponting hail Mendis

Ricky Ponting is bowled by Ajantha Mendis © Getty Images

Sri Lanka began their World Twenty20 campaign by ending Australia's stay in the competition. Their captain Kumar Sangakkara, leading the side for the first time, remained unbeaten and secured victory but reserved special mention for Ajantha Mendis, who revelled in his first outing against Australia in any format.

Ricky Ponting concurred, calling Mendis a "unique bowler" whom they had studied but failed to counter effectively. "We've all had an opportunity to see plenty of video footage of him, but when you're in a Twenty20 game and you've got to go out there and play a certain way, you've got to take the challenge up to the bowlers," Ponting, who was one of Mendis' victims, said. "Today he got the better of us.

"He certainly had a big impact on the game. That was probably the difference in the game that their spinner did dictate to us a little bit through the middle of our batting innings."

On the eve of the game Sangakkara had said that Mendis would have to adapt accordingly as batsmen became familiar with his modus operandi, dissecting him with the help of video analysis. The Australians, however, did not have first-hand experience of playing him and the result was 3 for 20 in four overs. He bowled Ponting with one that went the other way, halting a promising innings of 25 off 15 balls; trapped Shane Watson lbw and breached Michael Hussey's defences as well.

"In a Twenty20 game, where you have to attack almost every ball you play, to have unpredictability, that mystery around him [Mendis] is good," Sangakkara said. "Batsmen will get on top of him on some days but more often than not he's a wicket-taking bowler, an attacking bowler."

Sangakkara expressed surprise at Mendis not being a regular of the Kolkata Knight Riders but said the very fact that he was part of the Twenty20 tournament in South Africa, along with 12 other Sri Lankans, would have helped immensely. It may be coincidence but the players from countries with lesser Twenty20 match practice leading into the World Twenty20 - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia - have struggled in England.

"Even if some of the players did not get consistent games, the fact that they were there, rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the game, learning from that experience [has helped them]. They were training hard, learning to innovate and it kept them on their toes."

Sri Lanka, as a cricket team and country, has gone through rough times in recent months. Today's game was their first international since the team survived the terror attacks in Lahore and their country recently witnessed the end of a bloody 26-year war. They were reminded of that strife as they approached the venue, where 70 pro-Tamil supporters were holding a lawful protest outside the ground. Sangakkara, though, said that playing cricket was their focus and the team wouldn't bother about anything that was outside their control.

Three hours later, though, the scene outside Trent Bridge had changed remarkably. The protesters had dissipated and the only sounds emanating from outside the ground were deliriously happy Sri Lankan, and Irish, fans singing and drumming their way down Bridgford Road.

George Binoy is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

Sangakkara and Dilshan dump Australia out : Ajantha took 3-20

Sri Lanka 160 for 4 (Sangakkara 55*, Dilshan 53) beat Australia 159 for 9 (Johnson 28*, Mendis 3-20, Malinga 3-36) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kumar Sangakkara cracked a superb 55 © Getty Images

Sri Lanka eliminated Australia from the ICC World Twenty20 with a six-wicket victory at Trent Bridge. Kumar Sangakkara played a captain's innings to lead them across the line, with an over to spare, as they chased 160 after Tillakaratne Dilshan sparked the pursuit with an innovative 53 off 32 balls. Australia were set back by a magnificent display from Ajantha Mendis, who bamboozled with his variations, and although the match went to the final over Sri Lanka always held the edge to book their Super Eights berth.

Australia's stay in this tournament - the international title they don't hold - lasted three days and now they face two extra weeks in Leicester to prepare for the Ashes series. Make no mistake, they desperately wanted to win this event, and further stock their trophy cabinet, but were short on their skills for the second game running against a highly impressive Sri Lanka outfit.

With Sangakkara at the crease there was a sense of calm about the run-chase, even when the asking rate grew in excess of nine-per-over for a moment in the closing stages, and he was aided by a sparkling cameo from Jehan Mubarak. When Mubarak came to the crease a charged-up Brett Lee had bounced out Chamara Silva and he followed it up with three dot balls. However, Lee sent down a wide and the extra ball of the over was clouted over deep midwicket and you could see Australian shoulders slump.

In the next over Sangakkara, one of the most impressive cricketers in the world on and off the field, completed a classy fifty off 40 balls with a delicate dab-sweep off Nathan Backen. With 14 needed off two overs there was no way back for Australia and Mubarak cleared the ropes again before a wide sealed their elimination.

When Australia slumped to 94 for 6 in the 15th over the match was shaping to be very one-sided, but they added 65 runs in the last five overs to give the bowlers something to defend. However, they needed early wickets and despite a fine catch by David Warner to remove Sanath Jayasuriya the game was carried away from them through a fine innings from Dilshan.

He took 16 off Shane Watson's flustered first over, showing his full range of shots including a mow over midwicket and a deft sweep over fine leg, while his 26-ball half-century arrived with an extraordinarily cheeky top-edge flick over the wicketkeeper's head. Dilshan needed some convincing to opening the batting, but his elevation has been a revelation and he has the power to clear the in-field but also the subtle touch to manoeuvre the ball.

It needed a cracking delivery from Michael Clarke - his first - that pitched on leg, spun and hit middle to end Dilshan's innings and a period of tight bowling from the spinners gave Australia a slim lifeline. Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene were content to deal in singles, but with the run-rate climbing fractionally Jaywardene tried to go over the top and got an outside edge to backward point.

Sangakkara, though, knew perfectly when to pick his moments and deposited Nathan Haurtiz for two sixes in his last over, which went for 16. Lee, under huge pressure after his pasting at the hands of West Indies, tried to conjure a comeback but Australia just hadn't made enough runs.

The tone had been set in the first over of the match when Warner carved Angelo Mathews - a surprise new-ball option on his debut - to point but the key was always going to be Sri Lanka's spin. Watson and Ricky Ponting had begun to locate the boundary regularly when Mendis was thrown the ball for the final over of the Powerplay and the game changed.

He could have had Watson leg before with his first ball as he was beaten by one turning from leg to off, then with the final delivery of a brilliant over he uprooted Ponting's leg stump as the captain backed away. In his next over Mendis nailed Watson on the sweep and the new batsmen were prodding and poking uncertainly against his multitude of variations.

However, it's not just with spin that Sri Lanka's attack has a magical touch. Lasith Malinga's first over had been expensive, but he is an irresistible cricketer who can produce wonderful moments and a superbly disguised slower ball made Brad Haddin look foolish as it dipped late and took out two stumps.

Captains can often be left scratching their heads in Twenty20, but today everything Sangakkara tried work perfectly. He brought back Isuru Udana and the young left-armer produced a classy slower-ball that Clarke could only chip back down the pitch, before Mendis claimed his third by pinning Michael Hussey with one that zipped off the surface.

The next over proved Australia's best of the innings as Muttiah Muralitharan was taken for 21 with Mitchell Johnson launching two huge slow-swept sixes over deep midwicket. The damage, though, had already been done and a team so used to competing in the final stages of global events are packing their bags after the first round.

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo