Two worthy winners press their claims

If there had been a pre-tournament poll of matches to whet the appetite, it's a safe bet that New Zealand against Sri Lanka - two nations overshadowed to the point of parody by brasher neighbours - would not have set many pulses racing. Suddenly, however, their clash in Grenada on Thursday is being viewed in a very different light. It's not inconceivable that this match could be a dress rehearsal for the semi-finals or even beyond. Such is the skill and variety on display in both squads that either team would make a worthy, and popular, World Cup winner.

Sri Lanka, for their part, are determined to approach this contest with the same joie de vivre that they have shown throughout the tournament. Four months ago, they travelled to the greentops of New Zealand and drew 1-1 and 2-2 in the Test and ODI series respectively, carrying the fight to the Kiwis in a manner that few subcontinental sides have managed in such alien conditions. Nothing fazed them then, and it's not about to now.

"We're going to compete every step of the way and play our Sri Lankan brand of cricket," said Kumar Sangakkara, who was unafraid to hark back to his country's legendary 1996 World Cup-winning squad for inspiration. "We have an attitude where we've managed to balance our aggression with a professional approach. Even leaving the ball with positive intent is a show of aggression to the opposition.

"Most of the times we've gone wrong, we've tried to change our game, but we've realised that's a bit foolish. When we won the World Cup we played a unique brand of cricket and that's how we play now against any side - but particularly a side like New Zealand who, if we can put pressure on their bowlers at the start, then a formidable total can be built up."

So far it is New Zealand who have enjoyed the smoother of the two campaigns. They have never been less than in control of their six matches to date, although having seen off both Ireland and Bangladesh, as well as the below-par England and West Indies, they are acutely aware that the challenge is about to get rather more intense.

"Our toughest test is these three games coming up," said Daniel Vettori, whose team still has two other semi-final candidates, South Africa and Australia, waiting in the pipeline. "We can control our own destiny if we win tomorrow. If we want to go on and win [the World Cup] we know that we're going to have to beat one of these three teams, either in a final or a semi-final, so it's a good wake-up call and a realisation that we've got to play well."

New Zealand's task, however, has been made all the less arduous by the news that Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka's sling-shotting spearhead, will not be playing. He has sustained a grade two tear of his ankle ligament, and could well be forced to miss the remainder of the Super Eights campaign. "He is very keen to play, but we have told him 'No'," Michael Tissera, the team manager, said. "He suffered the injury the day before yesterday, and we sent him to Jamaica for a scan. We hope he will be fit for the games against Australia and Ireland [next week]."

Vettori's grin spoke volumes when asked how much of a relief his absence would be to New Zealand, although Sangakkara was keen to impress the depth and variety of the bowling attack Sri Lanka still has at its disposal. "I think we are going in with a very balanced attack. In the past we've been very spin-heavy, but we have a squad of five fast bowlers, each ready to step up when opportunities present themselves," he said. "Malinga is important but each has equal importance in our side. If he's fit or not fit, whoever comes in must do the job and that's how we approach it."

All the same, Malinga's absence means that there is only one genuine paceman left in the contest. "He's been far and away the best fast bowler in the past six or seven months," Sangakkara said of Shane Bond, the bowler of the tournament to date. "He is one person that you have to respect. You can talk the whole day about Bondy and his outswingers, but the real important thing for us is to be mentally prepared to face that on the day, and overcome the challenge."

Form and fortune favours New Zealand, who are expected to welcome back Ross Taylor in the middle order. However - like their fellow pacemakers, Australia - they have yet to be challenged in their unbeaten run to date. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have already been involved in two of the tightest contests in World Cup history - their one-wicket loss against South Africa, and their two-run win over England.

"We didn't want England to get that close," Sangakkara said of their thriller in Antigua last week, "but the positive thing from that was that we showed character as a team and individually to step up in that final over. Maybe we have a more rounded perspective for the coming games. But one-day cricket is all about being on the money every single minute. We just have to be as professional as we can."

New Zealand (probable) 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Stephen Fleming (capt), 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Shane Bond, 10 James Franklin, 11 Mark Gillespie.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Chamara Silva, 7 Russel Arnold, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 Farveez Maharoof, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.