If you go by form, or by plain logic, this one should be easy enough to call. Sri Lanka, along with South Africa, have been one of the most dominant sides in the tournament and are yet to lose a game since they landed in England.

The West Indies, on the other hand, started off with a blinder against Australia, a sloppy loss against Lanka in the group stages, another nightmare against South Africa in the Super 8s before suddenly waking up to bounce India out and then skid past England at rainy Lord’s to make it to the last four.

Lanka will surely take confidence from their convincing win against the same opponents in the group stages, but then again, Chris Gayle did not play that game. And who, in their right minds, can bet against a batting line-up that has the left-handed biffer at the top? Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara certainly isn’t. “Gayle is a nice guy, has a great belief in himself, and plays good cricket,” Sangakkara said on the eve of their semi-final to be played at The Oval on Friday. “It’s going to be an even contest and it may be a very close game.”

It could turn out that way, especially if the West Indian fast bowlers can turn up the heat on a surface that’s expected to have a bit of bounce and carry. On their day, in favourable conditions, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards can be quite a handful.

They have other tricks up their sleeves as well; take the must-win game against England for example. If it wasn’t plain oversight, this had to be one of the most underrated masterstrokes of this tournament. The West Indies were in a fair bit of trouble chasing 82 in the tricky rain-reduced contest. The hosts must’ve sniffed their chance, as they had already taken five wickets with just over half the runs on the board.

... contd.