Sri Lanka show no mercy

Farveez Maharoof enjoys the wicket of Eoin Morgan in his figures of 4-25 © Getty Images

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Farveez Maharoof and Muttiah Muralitharan ambushed Ireland for the 2007 World Cup’s lowest total to set up Sri Lanka’s eight-wicket win in their last Super Eight match in Grenada.

Ireland lost three wickets in four balls with the score stuck on 28 in Maharoof’s first over - and Murali waded in with 4-19 to help finish the minnows off for just 77.

Sri Lanka’s batsmen then wrapped up an uneven contest in under 10 overs before lunch - to make sure of finishing third at worst in the table, almost certainly avoiding favourites Australia and instead facing New Zealand in Jamaica in next week’s semi-finals.

For Ireland, it was a disappointing final performance in what has been a patchy but largely admirable campaign.

Farveez Maharoof and Muttiah Muralitharan ambushed Ireland for the 2007 World Cup’s lowest total, in the minnows’ final Super Eight match in Grenada.

Ireland began promisingly, only to lose three wickets in four balls in Maharoof’s first over with the score stuck on 28 - and then Murali made short work of the middle and lower order.

Kenny Carroll is bowled by Muttiah Muralithan for a duck

Ireland were put in on a sunny morning but, on a pitch offering seam movement - and with the help of five ducks - they were bundled out in 27.4 overs, losing six wickets for eight runs at one stage.

Maharoof’s eventful opening over came after he was introduced in place of the highly economical Nuwan Kulasekara.

The medium-pacer’s first two balls were dispatched for boundaries by Jeremy Bray, prompting him to switch to round the wicket.

It was a move which paid immediate dividends when Bray checked his intention for another ambitious shot and spliced a catch to short extra-cover.

Andre Botha lasted only two balls before edging behind as Maharoof, who finsihed with 4-25, got movement away off the pitch.

A ball later, it was the same story - Eoin Morgan the man to go for a golden duck, with Kumar Sangakkara taking an outstanding one-handed catch diving to his left.

Niall O’Brien and William Porterfield avoided more damage for 10 overs until the latter fell to Maharoof, aiming to hit to leg but managing only to find mid-on.

Sanath Jayasuriya is barely troubled by a meagre target of 78 in Grenada © Getty Images

Murali’s arrival was cruelly timed for the next over - and he struck with just his second ball when O’Brien was caught behind pushing tentatively.

Kenny Carroll was put in an unenviable position, needing to keep out the remaining four balls of the over on his World Cup debut, having played no cricket for the past month.

He fell to the second deilvery, trying to sweep the master off-spinner only to be bowled middle stump round his legs.

Trent Johnston was run out by Maharoof, who threw down the stumps after intercepting a drive in his follow-through to leave Ireland at the mercy of Murali.

Unsurprisingly, that did not extend too far, although Dave Langford-Smith, dropped on four by Maharoof off Murali, did enough in a last-wicket stand of 23 to help Ireland add the runs that put them sixth in the list of all-time lowest World Cup scores.

In their haste to complete the formalities, Sri Lanka lost Upul Tharanga for a duck and Sangakkara cheaply too to aerial off-side shots - off Boyd Rankin and Langford-Smith respectively.

But Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene, who was put down on seven at mid-on, duly ensured there would not be a significant wobble.