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KINGSTON, Jamaica - New Zealand's cricket World Cup campaign disintegrated in sadly familiar fashion here today as as Sri Lanka meted out a 81-run defeat at Sabina Park.
Needing an imposing 290 to end a run of four semifinal defeats and finally reach a title decider, New Zealand's
charmed run in the West Indies was put in context.
Sri Lanka, champions in 1996, are now confirmed for Sunday's (NZT) final at Kensington Oval in Barbados and will play the winner of tomorrow's semifinal between Australia and South Africa in St Lucia.
Buoyed by a six-wicket triumph when the teams met in the Super Eights phase two weeks ago, Sri Lanka were even more compelling today as Mahela Jayawardene crafted a sublime unbeaten 115 before his high quality bowling attack bamboozled fragile New Zealand batting card.
New Zealand were dismissed for 208 in the 42nd over though the outcome was a foregone conclusion before the halfway mark after another batting implosion saw five wickets tumble for just 11 runs in 23 balls.
When the Black Caps' form batsman Scott Styris departed for 37 in the 22nd over it triggered a collapse that saw spinner Muttiah Muralitharan threaten to take a hattrick and Sanath Jayasuriya atone for a non-contribution with the bat by removing top scorer Peter Fulton for 46.
Suddenly New Zealand had plunged from 105 for two to 116 for seven and another defeat of epic proportions was looming four days after their record 215-run loss to Australia.
Underlining the consistent threat Sri Lanka's bowling attack posed, only the erratic Dilhara Fernando failed to fire as New Zealand's frailties against sheer pace and Muralitharan's spin wizardy were again laid bare.
Paceman Lasith Malinga created the indecision with a stunning opening burst that deserved more than Stephen Fleming's scalp for one in the ninth ball of the innings.
Chaminda Vaas was his usual accurate self to end Ross Taylor's torment for nine before a three-pronged spin attack stepped up to ram home the advantage built by Jayawardene's maiden World Cup ton.
Malinga was virtually unplayable in overcast conditions, surrendering just five runs from his opening four-over spell and when the pace was pegged back by Muralitharan's introduction, New Zealand's batsmen were powerless to mount a viable challenge.
There was a sliver of hope when Styris and Fulton sought to knock Muralitharan off his stride but when he returned after his first two overs cost 14, the New Zealanders were already approaching free fall.
Styris holed out to Tillekaratne Dilshan's fifth ball, encouraging Jayawardene to bring his senior spinner.
Muralitharan duly responded, using his trademark doosra to flummox Jacob Oram and Brendon McCullum in successive balls.
Oram could only prod back Muralitharan's stock ball down the wicket while McCullum tried to sweep his first ball and was caught at backward square by a backpeddaling Chamara Silva.
Muralitharan eventually took four for 31 off eight overs.
That left Craig McMillan, batting with a runner after straining a stomach muscle, to slap a hopeful 25 before James Franklin and Jeetan Patel delayed the inevitable with a stubborn 59-run stand for the 10th wicket.
Earlier, Jayawardene made a mockery of Shane Bond's pre-match view that Sri Lanka's batting was vulnerable if Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara were removed early.
Sri Lanka's usually dangerous duo managed only 19 runs between them but Jaywardene and an under-fire Upul Tharanga (73) rebuffed Bond's bravado as Sri Lanka slammed an imposing 289 for five.
Jayawardene twisted the knife in even further when the fast bowler dropped a catchable chance on the deep square boundary when he was on 70 as he was accelerating towards his century.
Bond parried the ball onto the rope to provide Jayawardene with the first of three sixes amid another disastrous period of "death" bowling which offered up 102 runs off the last 60 deliveries.
Man of the match Jayawardene took 34 balls to reach double figures and another 14 deliveries to reach the fence for the first time, but after he posted 50 off 76 switched into overdrive to punish New Zealand's wilting and wayward attack.
He ultimately toyed with an attack debilitated by Bond's ineffectiveness, Oram clearly struggling with his heel injury and a labouring Franklin, who still boasted the best figures of two for 46 off nine overs.
Franklin apart, the New Zealand bowlers rarely threatened, though they were not helped by a listless fielding effort.
Bond recorded an unflattering one for 59 while spin twins Vettori and Patel were picked off to the tune of 51 and 62 runs respectively.
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka
U Tharanga b Vettori 73
S Jayasuriya b Franklin 1
K Sangakkara c Fleming b Franklin 18
M Jayawardene not out 115
C Silva lbw b Bond 21
T Dilshan lbw b Oram 30
R Arnold not out 14
Extras (3lb, 9w, 5nb) 17
Total (for 5 wkts, 50 overs) 289
Fall: 13 (Jayasuriya), 67 (Sangakkara), 111 (Tharanga), 152 (Silva), 233 (Dilshan)
Bowling: J Franklin 9-1-46-2 (2nb, 2w), S Bond 10-1-59-1 (1nb, 3w), J Oram 9-0-60-1 (2nb, 1w), D Vettori 10-1-51-1 (1w), J Patel 10-0-62-0, S Styris 1-0-8-0 (1w)
New Zealand
P Fulton c Silva b Jayasuriya 46
S Fleming lbw Malinga 1
R Taylor lbw b Vaas 9
S Styris c Jayawardene c Dilshan 37
J Oram c and b Muralitharan 3
B McCullum c Silva b Muralitharan 0
C McMillan b Jayasuriya 25
D Vettori lbw b Muralitharan 0
J Franklin not out 30
S Bond b Muralitharan 2
J Patel c Fernando b Dilshan 34
Extras (5b, 2lb, 8w, 6nb) 21
Total: (all out, 41.4 overs) 208
Fall: 2 (Fleming), 32 (Taylor), 105 (Styris), 114 (Oram), 114 (McCullum), 115 (Fulton), 116 (Vettori), 144 (McMillan), 149 (Bond), 208 (Patel)
Bowling: C Vaas 8-1-25-1 (1w), L Malinga 7-2-21-1 (1nb), D Fernando 5-0-45-0 (5nb, 1w), M Muralitharan 8-0-31-4 (1w), S Jayasuriya 9-0-57-2 (3w), T Dilshan 4.4-0-22-2 (1w)
Result: Sri Lanka win by 81 runs
- NZPA