Fairytale and tragedy guaranteed for opposing legends

After a tournament of unprecedented fabulousness, the 2011 Cricket World Cup concludes tonight in Mumbai between the dramatic but fallible India, and top-heavy but spectacular Sri Lanka. Although both nations will richly deserve their success if they are victorious tonight, millions of Cricket fans the world over will feel a tinge of sadness thanks to a fairytale final showdown for two of the game's all time greats. There is an almost cruel dramatic perfection to the script that this World Cup has come down to Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan's teams.

Tonight's match will be Muralitharan's final international for Sri Lanka. The situation is not so black and white for Tendulkar and certainly he looks destined to dominate Test Cricket for more years yet, but surely it is too much to expect him down under in 2015 for a dizzying seventh World Cup campaign at age 41. Their showdown is so perfect and cruel not merely because both men are the greatest Cricketers their countries have ever produced (which both are almost without question), but because both have forever altered the very fabric of not just their Cricket teams, but their nations themselves.

India has always been a cricketing stronghold, but largely because of the nation's origins as a British colony. India were perpetual seller-dwellers in the grand scheme of Test Cricket, and uniformly uninterested in ODI cricket until the spectacular World Cup triumph of 1983. That began the modern age of Indian cricket, where India stands still for important cricketing occasions, and controls 80% of the sport's financial assets. Sachin Tendulkar was the hero Indian cricket needed and largely thanks to his genius, India are at the top of the game on and off the field, and look set to stay entrenched there for decades to come. Further evidence of Sachin's influence is easy to come by when one looks at the media and public attention which follow the little master 24/7, to levels far beyond even Western Paparazzo standards. One man on Cricinfo exclaimed emotionally that he will never watch Cricket again after Tendulkar retires.

As for Sri Lanka, they are still in grand terms a baby of a nation, and were a Cricketing minnow until granted Test status in the 1990s. Murali has played for all but three years of Sri Lanka's existence as a Test playing nation and surely no-one would dispute that he is Sri Lanka's greatest cricketer, even accounting for the likes of Ranatunga, De Silva, Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Sangakkara. Like India, Cricket is the be-all and end-all for so many Sri Lankans, but as a small island without the wider influences and interests of India, the journalistic hyperbole that 'every single person' literally stops for Cricket, may actually be closer to the truth. The fact of that matter is that Murali is often referred to as the greatest Sri Lankan of all time period. His captain Kumar Sangakkara said exactly that after their semi-final win over New Zealand. Not even Bradman can quite scale those heights in Australia.

The tragedy of the situation of course is that one of these men must end their World Cup careers with a loss. Although my support stands with Sri Lanka (by virtue of having picked them as my favourites to win the World Cup months ago), the lesser tragedy would be an Indian win. Murali at least has won a World Cup in 1996, and were Sri Lanka to win, the greatest player of our generation, perhaps of many generations, would end his career without a World Cup. That would be a travesty. But then perhaps it would be a blessing in disguise, and motivate the great man to come out here in four years time? What a privilege to witness that would be.

As for the Cricket, it is an intriguing contest with neither team having set the world sufficiently alight to feel unbeatable. Beyond Zaheer Khan and the unlikely hero Yuvraj Singh, India's bowling has lacked any consistent penetration, but they have shown to be the team for pressure situations in the last two matches and have shored up the middle order jitters from early in the tournament. Sri Lanka in turn choked and spluttered their way over the line against New Zealand, and their middle order remains every bit as utterly unconvincing as it did two months ago. But I stand by Sri Lanka as my pick. The top four of Tharanga, Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene have been mighty in the tournament even beyond India's top order, and their bowlers are clearly superior in variety and wicket-taking nous. The key for Sri Lanka is to avoid exposing their middle order too early if batting first, or even worse, exposing them to a tight chase. If the game gets tight and tense, then expect India to find a way home.

WORLD CUP: Group A Squads - Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka World Cup Squad

Batsmen

Tillakaratne Dilshan - 34 - Right Hand Opening/Middle Order Batsman

Upul Tharanga - 25 - Left Hand Opening Batsman

Kumar Sangakkara (Captain) - 33 - Wicket Keeper - Left Hand Top Order Batsman

Mahela Jayawardene (Vice-Captain) - 33 - Right Hand Top Order Batsman

Thilan Samaraweera - 34 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman

Chamara Silva - 31 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman

Chamara Kapugedera - 23 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman

All-Rounders

Angelo Mathews - 23 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman - Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler

Thisara Perera - 21 - Right Arm Medium Fast Bowler - Left Hand Middle/Lower Order Batsman

Spin Bowlers

Rangana Herath - 32 - Left Arm Orthodox Spin Bowler

Muttiah Muralitharan - 38 - Right Arm Off Spin Bowler

Ajantha Mendis - 25 - Right Arm Off Spin Bowler

Fast Bowlers

Nuwan Kulasekera - 28 - Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler

Dilhara Fernando - 31 - Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler

Lasith Malinga - 27 - Right Arm Fast Bowler

There are few surprises in Sri Lanka's squad. Of all the teams in the tournament Sri Lanka may arguably have the most settled squad of all. Certainly their top 7 is well and truly settled (although I still have question marks over Silva and Kapugedera). The only questions are over the bowling line-up. In the subcontinent, and with a majority of their matches at home in Colombo, Sri Lanka will surely play two quicks and two spinners, with Mathews as the 3rd pace option. That leaves two questions. 

1. Will Herath or Mendis support Murali as the 2nd spinner? Mendis is the more devastating front line bowler but can be inconsistent. Herath would be the perfect foil to Murali, he is more disciplined and economical, and rather than playing two off spinners, Herath's Left Arm finger spin, turning the ball away from the right hander provides good variety. It is this variety in fact which has earned him a place in the squad at all. Herath is probably the most surprising member of the squad, being picked over fancied young off spinner Suraj Randiv for the sole reason that the off spin monopoly would be broken.

2. Which two fast bowlers will take the new ball. Malinga is likely to be the incumbent, with Kulasekera, Fernando and Perera fighting over one spot. They all have their own advantages. Kulasekera is surely the best wicket taker of the three, but Fernando brings vital maturity and experience, while Perera's batting prowess would create a formidable middle order down to No.8. 

Although it is not exactly a surprise, and surely the only right decision, the announcement of the squad was nevertheless tinged with a certain amount of nostalgic sadness as all time legends Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas were overlooked. This leaves Murali as the only remaining veteran of their 1996 World Cup success.

Prediction

Sri Lanka's preparation is sound and their squad combines the natural world beating talent of the 90s, with an added experience and maturity. They will fancy their chances of finishing on top of Group A, and have every chance of becoming world champions for a second time.

Hosford's XI

  Dilshan, Tharanga, Sangakkara (C)(WK), Jayawardene, Samaraweera, Kapugedera, Mathews, Kulasekera, Herath, Muralitharan, Malinga