Sri Lanka have entered the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo with a thumping seven-wicket win on Friday over a highly fancied Australia. They reached the target with exactly ten overs remaining with a solid batting display all-through.

After a clinical performance by their bowlers, it was the turn of the Lankan batsmen to show their wares. A solid foundation of 67 between opener Sanath Jayasuriya (42 51b, 3x4) and Marvan Atapattu (51) set them well on their way to the paltry Aussie total.

The never-say-die Australians almost struck in the very first over. But Lankan skipper Jayasuriya survived a confident leg-before even before the master-blaster had opened his account. Glenn McGrath’s appeal forced umpire Dave Orchard to ask for the TV umpire’s opinion, but Rudi Koertzen to the delight of the full-house at the floodlit Premadasa stadium, ruling in the batsman’s favor.

Aussie leg-spin genius Shane Warne, introduced quite early as the wicket was spin-friendly, looked very threatening and was soon rewarded with scalp of dangerman Jayasuriya. And had the burly Matthew Hayden held one of two successive (half) chances in the slips off the edge of Atapattu, things might have been a lot tighter for the 1996 world champs.

Kumar Sangakkara (48 63b, 8x4), coming at the fall of his skipper took charge and put the game almost beyond the reach of the Aussies with a few authoritative strikes before McGrath returning for his second spell had the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper/batsman caught behind and then dismissed Atapattu after the latter had anchored his team to touching distance of a memorable win.

Man-of-the-Match Aravinda de Silva who had started the rot for the Aussies in the first session, in the company of Mahela Jayawardene completed the last rites to set up the hosts for another title clash with India on Sunday.

Earlier, big-hitting Australia were brought down to earth with a huge thud by a bunch of small-made spinners. In what will go down as one of the most remarkable turnarounds in limited overs cricket, the Sri Lankans got their own back at the Aussies. The visitors had raced away to 48 for no loss in a mere six overs only to be finally dismissed for a lowly 162.

After five overs of medium pace bowling during which the Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Mathew Hayden had taken full toll of Chaminda Vaas and Pulasthi Gunaratne, the stunned Sri Lankans held a mini conference in the middle of the field and it resulted in the ball being tossed to Kumara Dharmasena. There was nothing to note in that over but all hell (if you are an Australian) was about to break loose.

Veteran Aravinda de Silva was entrusted with bowling the next over and he straightaway got into the groove by bowling an advancing Hayden. Next over Dharmasena had Gilchrist (31, 24b) caught off a skier and the floodgates had been opened. De Silva continued to be fantastic, giving nothing away, even as the packed crowd that had gone silent in the opening overs found their voice. The old warhorse bowled his ten overs at a cost of just 15 runs.

The backup on the field by a now rejuvenated Sri Lankan too was outstanding. A mix up may have been the cause for Darren Lehman’s runout but Russell Arnold’s pick up and throw to beat Damien Martyn’s desperate run for a single was further proof of Lanka’s commitment.

There just seemed to be no escape route, more so after Jayasuriya brought back Vaas who promptly got rid of Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting by trapping him plumb in front. Ponting had won the toss and chosen to bat, so his loss would have been doubly disappointing.

A total of under 100 or just over loomed large at one stage but a fighting 46-run association between Shane Warne (36, 69b) and Brett Lee gained them some respectability. Muthiah Muralitharan finally consumed them both to end the Aussie resistance.