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It’s certainly fitting. Just two matches until we play for the subcontinent’s World Cup, and all three of the region’s major players are still in it.
After five weeks of lead-up, we have the unmatchable intensity of a semi-final between Pakistan and India; and a Sri Lanka-New Zealand clash that if we’re honest, probably won’t make quite such an impact on a global geopolitical level.
The marketers would have preferred Australia or South Africa to round out the four, but no matter. An all-Asian final is now odds-on. Nor can it be put down to home ground advantage.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have played compelling, dominant cricket, and will like their chances. India have had only one convincing match, but it came at the right time, and they’re riding a wave of sublime Tendulkar form.
Non-Asian players are so familiar with subcontinental conditions and crowds by now that they can hardly claim them as a huge factor. Australia, South Africa and England have all enjoyed success in that part of the world.
The latter two teams arrived with a phalanx of slow bowlers to suit the conditions, opening the innings and stifling the middle overs. The number of times the Proteas have previously fielded three specialist spinners could be counted on one hand by Captain Hook.
Australia, of course, backed sheer pace, and that will be blamed for their loss. The reality is that, more than the quicks, it was the lack of back-up bowlers that hurt Australia.
Shaun Tait, admittedly, was often wayward, and appeared to have no comprehension of what defensive bowling means. If Lasith Malinga said “Hey, I’ll show you my yorker,” Tait would probably think he was talking about the place where Christopher Skase lived.
But all up, the Aussie pace trio took 34 of a possible 70 wickets in their campaign, at a cost of 21.47 runs apiece, and a rate of 4.45 an over.
It was a more than adequate foundation, but then Krejza took five wickets in seven matches, Watson three in seven, while an underbowled David Hussey proved a point with two wickets in the nine overs he was permitted.
It meant Australia never looked imposing.
They avoided slip-ups against three teams that didn’t merit one, and crushed a distracted and emotional Kiwi outfit. But their first meeting with true competition was washed out, and their next saw two losses and an early exit.
India’s win was comfortable, despite the Aussies staying more or less in touch. Yes, Ponting’s century came at the right time, and David Hussey’s finishing revealed the folly of his prior omission. But others had already chewed up much-needed deliveries, and all night 260 was a little short.
And yes, it would have been game on had another wicket fallen with India 70 runs from home. But it didn’t, and it wasn’t, and in a hugely important sign, two lesser lights in the batting firmament took India home with no fluster or panic.
Pakistan, aside from that tumultuous five-over blip against New Zealand, have looked better than their clichés of ‘unpredictable’ or ‘dangerous’ this tournament.
Dangerous, yes, but also consistent.
Their dismantling of West Indies was clinical and fierce. All tournament Pakistan’s strength has been its bowlers, and they took apart a bewildered Caribbean squad for 112.
Mohammad Hafeez took a scarcely-creditable 2/16 from ten overs bowled, then spanked 61 not out as Pakistan won with 30 overs to spare. Shahid Afridi swelled his tournament wicket haul to 21, at an average of 10.7.
Sri Lanka’s final with England was a stranger walkover, one that should by rights have been a contest. The islanders kept England to 229, Trott and Bopara dropping anchor and no-one else able to make up for their strike rate.
It was still a fair total on a ground that has been a graveyard for teams batting second, so it’s safe to say that no-one tipped Dilshan and Tharanga to coast home in 39 overs without losing a wicket.
In a team where Sangakkara and Muralitharan take much of the spotlight, these two have passed a lot of analysts by. But they’ve been instrumental to Sri Lanka’s recent confidence and success.
This World Cup, their list of opening partnerships reads 63, 76, 72, 6, 282, 13, and 231 not out, at an average of nearly 124 per innings. Add in Dilshan’s six wickets at 12.83, and you could distinctly say they’ve been a handy pair.
In career terms, the England match took them past 2000 ODI runs, to third on Sri Lanka’s opening partnership list.
The next mark – Jayasuriya’s famous alliance with Romesh Kaluwitharana – is 1200 runs distant, but Jayasuriya and Kalu did it from 105 innings. Dilshan and Tharanga have taken 32.
Then there’s the small fact that their partnership average of 65.25 is over 20 runs higher than any other Sri Lankan opening duo that lasted more than five innings.
It’s doubtful anyone expected two ten-wicket wins at the quarter-final stage. Had they been against Associates, we would no doubt have heard mutterings about not being up to standard.
But the spectacular South African choke injected the requisite amount of chaos into the round, as a New Zealand team that no-one was backing invoked the permanent lease they’ve signed on World Cup semi-finals.
It’s safe to say this came as a bit of a surprise. No offence to Jacob Oram, wholehearted contributor that he is, but he’s not a man you would naturally associate with vicious four-wicket match-winning spells. He’s not often a man you associate with the ability to walk.
But he more than walked, he danced like Natalie Portman in the outfield for the catch that got rid of Jacques Kallis and started the Proteas’ slide. One can only presume that Sri Lanka was watching, and got an object lesson in What Not To Do When Chasing 220.
Against England in the group stages, South Africa began their epic collapse forty runs short of victory. Here they fell fifty short. If we’d just told them they were chasing 270, they would probably have got it right. It wouldn’t be the first time South Africa had set off after the wrong target.
And so, not for the first time, the carnies shut down the ride for the pre-tournament favourites. A sad end to the fairytale for mature-age leg-spin rookie Imran Tahir.
No pressure, but after four years of waiting, a 31-year-old practising the hardest art in cricket makes his debut for his adopted country at the biggest tournament in the sport. He comes back with 14 wickets from five matches at 10.71. Forget bowling averages, that’s one wicket away from an excellent diving score.
But from here, the chance lies with Tahir’s birth country of Pakistan. They have the arsenal to take out India, and India have the strongest batting line-up left in the Cup. Whoever prevails in that half of the contest will decide the match.
If Pakistan bowl well first up, they should win. If they’re setting a total, or chasing a tricky one, their batsmen are likely to stumble.
Sri Lanka are in great form, but more importantly, as they were in Australia, are calm, focused and intent. They should cruise home against New Zealand – two upsets in a few days would just be rude – and set up an intriguing decider.
Of course, shoulds and woulds and coulds often fail to turn into dids, so let’s all sit back and see who’s right and wrong come finals day.