The Sri Lankan batsmen displayed a combination of grit and flair to ‘hang in there’ despite some good bowling by the Indians earlier on. The youngsters in the side made up for the early losses of big guns Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Sangakkara with their resolute approach. Vaas and Arnold went for the big shots in the final stages and gave their side a real boost, in terms of runs and morale. Their determination, coupled with that exhibited earlier by Chamara Silva and Tharanga, was lost on their opponents. The Indian batsmen should have emulated their Sri Lankan counterparts, but did not. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and were not helped by some tight bowling and brilliant fielding. As delighted a country as Sri Lanka will be Bangladesh . Habibul Bashar’s team now has to only beat Bermuda to reach the Super 8s.

My Man of the match would be Chaminda Vaas, not only for the restricting opening spell that he bowled, but also for his batting that gave the Lankans extra runs. Also, his catch to get rid of Uthappa, his fielding, and his attitude were top-class and extremely competitive. He lifted the team, and hence is my Man of the Match.