Sri Lanka clinch tri-nation series

Sri Lanka won the the Idea Cup triangular tournament, beating India by four wickets in the final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Wednesday.
India tossed away wickets freely early on in Mirpur, and without Suresh Raina’s brilliant 106, they would have struggled to put up any sort of total.
However, their modest 245 all out was overhauled with nine balls remaining.
Mahela Jayawardene played the key innings, making 71 not out from 81 balls after India seamer Ashish Nehra had limped off injured.
Questions will be raised about the wicket for the event in Mirpur. In all seven matches the team batting second won with some ease.
After losing five wickets for 60 runs India still recorded a fighting total of 245 thanks to a fantastic hundred from young batsman Suresh Raina.
But the Lankan experience eventually prevailed over a youthful Raina effort when Mahela Jayawardene played a masterly unbeaten knock of 71 despite wickets falling around him at regular intervals.
In a final where bowlers proved the doubters wrong who believe that in the modern day 50-over game especially after the addition of the T20 cricket the bowlers has little to do to change the fate of the match, both sides’ bowlers showed that they could play the role only if they got some assistance from the surface. Despite India set a target of 246 runs for the Lankans, it was no way a one-sided affair rather there were full of excitement for some 10,000-crowd who braved the chilly weather to watch the two big guns fight.
It would be unfair to say the Lankans won the battle by winning the toss only because one can’t take away the intelligent effort of their two new ball bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara (4-48) and Chanaka Welegedara (3-53) who actually laid the foundation by mesmerising the vaunted Indian batting line-up. Kulasekara was later adjudged man-of-the-final for rattling up the Indian top-order.
(with the input from The Daily Star)