Sri Lanka v India 1999-2000

At Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, August 29. India won by 23 runs (D/L method). Toss: Sri Lanka.

India won at last to draw level with Sri Lanka on points, but remained bottom on net run-rate. After rain sent them off five overs into their pursuit of 297, Sri Lanka were set a revised target of 271 in 42 overs to win, or 232 to beat India's net run-rate. (Under new ICC regulations that came into force three days later, all matches settled by Duckworth/Lewis would have been excluded from the calculations, and India would have been doomed the moment Sri Lanka's innings was interrupted.) Jayasuriya, who took only 53 balls for his 71, and Atapattu opened with 105 in just 17 overs, while Jayawardene scored the third fifty of the innings. That proved enough to achieve their preliminary target, though with victory now meaningless, the tail fell away rapidly. Earlier, Tendulkar returned from injury to score his 23rd hundred in one-day internationals, 120 in 141 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes. His principal ally was Ganguly, who helped him add 127 in 22 overs as India advanced towards an imposing 296, easily the highest total of the tournament. Unexpectedly, Robin Singh earned the match award for his tight bowling and two key wickets.

Man of the Match: R. R. Singh.