India v Sri Lanka

At Birmingham, July 6. India won by four wickets. India 4 pts. Toss: India.

Sri Lanka's slim chances of reaching the final came to an end after a dismal collapse against a disciplined Indian attack on a pitch that helped the seamers. Heavy overnight rain persuaded Ganguly to bowl first, only for Atapattu and Jayawardene to bat Sri Lanka into a position of strength at 125 for two. But Kumble removed both in successive overs, and the last eight wickets fell for just 62. India lost a wicket to the first ball of their innings for the second match in succession, and when Tendulkar was confounded by Fernando's slower ball to make it 59 for four, Sri Lanka had the advantage. If Fernando hadn't ruined things by overstepping moments before Dravid popped a leading edge to cover, they might even have won. Dravid had just nine at the time, but went on to compile another cool match-winning stand, of 91, with Yuvraj. Sri Lanka were left to regret the extravagance of their bowlers, and the winning run came, appropriately enough, courtesy of a wide, the 17th of the innings to go with five no-balls.

Man of the Match: R. Dravid. Attendance: 19,433; receipts £370,000.