It is for the first time that two teams from Asia - India and Sri Lanka - will meet in the ICC Cricket World Cup final.
By Kersi Meher-Homji and Rajesh KumarBoth countries have won the ICC CWC title once (India in 1983 while Sri Lanka in 1996) and entered the final three times (India in 1983, 2003 and 2011; Sri Lanka in 1996, 2007 and 2011).
Apart from Australia entering the final six times (in 1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007, winning in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007) and West Indies storming into the final thrice (1975, 1979 and 1983, winning the first two), no other country has entered the final three times.
India’s record against Sri Lanka in the 36-year history of CWC: won two, lost four and a no-result out of seven matches played - winning % 33.33.
In the 2011 edition, India and Lanka played eight matches each, both winning six and losing one; India going down to South Africa, Lanka to Pakistan. India tied with England and the Lions’ match against Australia was rained off. As a tie counts as half a win, India's winning % (81.25) is better than Sri Lanka's 75.00.
How have the neighbours performed against each other in “Grand Finals” apart from the CWC? In 17 such tournaments (minimum three-nation competitions), Sri Lanka leads narrowly, winning eight (53.33 % success) to India's seven wins (46.66) .
Of the 15 result-oriented grand finals from November 1988 to August, 2010, India won the first four; by six wickets at Dhaka in November 1988 and by seven wickets at Kolkata in January 1991, both in the Asia Cup. In September 1994, India won the Singer World Series by six wickets in Colombo and by eight wickets at Sharjah in Asia Cup in April 1995.
Sri Lanka won their first “grand final” against India by eight wickets in Colombo in July 1997 in Asia Cup. In a thriller in Colombo for the Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy in July, 1998, India won by six runs.
Since then, Sri Lanka have been victorious in five finals which were not affected by weather, being victorious at the Coca Cola Champions Trophy by 245 runs at Sharjah in December, 2000, by 121 runs in Colombo for Coca Cola Cup in August, 2001, by 25 runs in Colombo for Asia Cup in August, 2004, by 18 runs also in Colombo for the Indian Oil Cup in August, 2005, and by 100 runs in Karachi for Asia Cup in July, 2008.
Earlier, the ICC Champions Trophy finals in September, 2002, were rained off twice and the Trophy shared.
The see-saw for supremacy continued for the next two years, India being triumphant by 46 runs in the Compaq Cup in Colombo in September, 2009, and by 81 runs for Asia Cup in Dambulla in June 2010.
Meanwhile, Lanka won in a Tri-nation tournament in Mirpur by four wickets in January, 2010, and by 74 runs in Dambulla for the Triangular series in August, 2010.
Thus, Sri Lanka are slightly ahead, but the ICC Cricket World Cup final in Mumbai on Saturday is a different ball game. Both teams are strong in batting but Sri Lanka are ahead in bowling.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment