Sri Lanka qualified for the finals-Twenty20 World Cup

It will be an all-Asia final at the ICC World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record by crushing West Indies by 57 runs at The Oval. Tillakaratne Dilshan added another installment to his breathtaking tournament with an unbeaten 96, the highest score of the event, as his team-mates struggled for momentum. Angelo Mathews then stunned West Indies with three wickets in the opening over before the spinners strangled the middle order, leaving Chris Gayle forlornly unbeaten on 63, carrying his bat as no one else reached double figures.

After everything the two countries have been through, it is fitting that Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the final. However, unlike Pakistan's campaign which has burst into life after a slow start, there has been a sense of destiny about Kumar Sangakkara's team reaching the Lord's showdown. Sri Lanka's run has been a triumph of mental strength and character and they now have the chance to mark their return to the international scene following the Lahore terror attack with a trophy.

They have played as a team throughout, but their position in the final was down to Dilshan's outstanding individual effort. His innings was the highest for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 and, in a quirky statistic, the innings briefly gave him the highest percentage of a completed innings before Gayle's lone hand nipped ahead. Dilshan looked set for the tournament's first century until losing the strike towards the end. However, with Dilshan set for the closing stages, 60 runs came from the final five overs with Mathews playing a valuable four-ball cameo with two final-over boundaries.

However, that was only the start of Mathews' role in the game. It was a surprise when he was handed the new-ball at the start of the tournament, but has been a constant presence upfront. Nothing, though, had come close to matching this effort. With his second ball he removed Xavier Marshall - who had replaced Andre Fletcher following three consecutive ducks - via an inside edge. It would become a common form of dismissal.

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