Semi-final promises flair, flicks and fun

West Indies are confident of chasing nearly any total in this event; Sri Lanka believe there is no score they can't defend. Clearly, something will have to give in their ICC World Twenty20 semi-final.

Tonight's match at the Oval sees two exciting sides up against one another and, while Sri Lanka will start favourites, the West Indies have shown that they are not to be underestimated.

Sri Lanka, who have an admirably balanced side for cricket's shortest format, have yet to lose a match in this tournament.

In Sanath Jayasuriya, the man for whom the phrase 'explosive opener' might have been created, and the inventive Tillekaratne Dilshan, both delights spectators and infuriates opponents with his 'Dilscoop', they have a first-wicket partnership that can score rapidly.

Behind them are captain and wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, a pair of class batsmen. But it is their bowling attack that has proved a problem for most of their opponents in the tournament.

For years, batsmen around the world have found that scoring quickly against off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is easier said than done.

But Ajantha Mendis, the spinner who flicks the ball out of his fingers in a way not witnessed in international cricket since Australia's John Gleeson in the early 1970s, has now joined him.

"Murali can turn the ball on any surface," Jayawardene said of the star off-spinner, who is the world's highest wicket-taker in both Tests and one-day cricket. "And if Ajantha sticks to his plans, we have a fairly good chance of going all the way."

Mendis took three for nine against New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, when Sri Lanka won by 48 runs to secure their last four spot.

"Ajantha was brilliant," said Sangakkara. "He is very difficult to read and has an attacking mindset. It's a great ability to have."

However, it was at the Oval – a happy hunting ground for the West Indies down the decades – that the men from the Caribbean defeated Australia by seven wickets in their opener.

That victory owed much to a brilliant 88 from Windies captain Chris Gayle, the left-handed opener striking some of the biggest sixes ever seen at the south London venue.

Gayle has yet to hit such heights again, but knowing what he is capable of is enough to make most opponents pause for thought, although Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka's unorthodox slinger, is unlikely to be as easy to 'tee off' against on a bouncy pitch as was Australian fast bowler Brett Lee.

In Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indies have batsmen capable of plugging the gap if Gayle fails, while Dwayne Bravo is a talented all-rounder and the leader in the field of a team capable of taking some spectacular catches.

No wonder Gayle was so enthusiastic after his side's five-wicket Super Eights win over England at the Oval. "To be honest with you, a lot of teams fear us," he said.

"We were written off from the start of the tournament and we are actually in the semi-final. If you look at each and every one of our players, we are actually winners."

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