JOHANNESBURG, 18 March 2003 — Muttiah Muralitharan’s reputation as the world’s greatest spinner faces its most intensive examination in the heat of the World Cup semifinal against Australia today.

With the St. George’s Park pitch at Port Elizabeth expected to be slow and low, Ricky Ponting’s defending champions, protecting a 15-match winning run, are prepared to quash the Murali effect with all the weapons at their disposal.

“Sri Lanka are very good in conditions which suit them. Like in the subcontinent, they play very well,” said Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath.

“Muralitharan is obviously their key player and we will have to target him to win.”

Australia’s plans for the semifinal suffered a setback yesterday when batsman Damien Martyn was ruled out because of a broken finger. It was the last thing Ponting wanted to hear.

He has been so concerned about the Port Elizabeth wicket that World Cup organizers were forced to call in pitch experts to ensure a high-scoring semifinal.

But despite having lost their Super Six clash to the Aussies by 96 runs at Centurion last week, Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya is confident his side can make the most of the spin-friendly conditions.

“I think on that pitch we can win it. It’s a pitch which will suit us. Anything can happen on the day and we will be playing hard cricket,” said Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore fired up his side by telling them that for some this could be their last chance in the big time. “There won’t be too many Sri Lanka players who get an opportunity like this again in their careers,” he said.

“Here we are in the semifinal and with a great chance to go on and experience what it is like in a final. These games don’t come along too often.”

Sri Lanka, world champions in 1996, were the last team to defeat Australia in Sydney in January with Jayasuriya and Muralitharan taking six wickets between them.

They also got off to a flying start that day with Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu putting on 237 for the first wicket as they clinched a 79-run win.

However, Jayasuriya knows he and the other batsmen will have to put runs on the board again today to give Muralitharan, with 17 wickets already in the tournament, a chance to spin his magic.

“It’s a 240 wicket,” Jayasuriya said. “If we can get that we can put the Australians under pressure.”

The St. George’s Park wicket has seen Australia struggle to subdue England and then New Zealand in their last two games at the venue, but Ponting, when asked how he planned to tackle Muralitharan, said: “Did you see the game last week (Australia beat Sri Lanka by 96 runs at Centurion with Muralitharan taking one for 47)?

“I thought we played very well against Muralitharan and hopefully we’ll do the same again.”

Ponting, whose team are still unbeaten in the tournament, conceded the slower pitch expected at St. George’s Park could favor Sri Lanka.

“It’s pretty well known Sri Lanka don’t like the faster type of wickets but we’ve played in Port Elizabeth twice so we’ll know the conditions better than they do.”

The Pressure’s on the

Aussies — Whatmore

Whatmore believes Australia will be the team under most pressure. While Sri Lanka had to rely on other results going their way to reach the last four, Australia have cruised through the tournament on the back of nine straight wins but Whatmore argued such form created its own problems.

“I think definitely they are more of the team under pressure,” he told reporters after a team training session yesterday. “That is because they have done so well in this competition, they have blown away teams and now they are in a situation where if you lose one game you are gone.

“Sri Lanka have had to fight a bit harder and still in some judges’ eyes we are not a power house in world cricket. But we have still made the World Cup semifinals at the expense of South Africa, who were meant to have been a really powerful team, New Zealand and England.”

Whatmore said he was looking for his players to grasp the chance to make a name for themselves against the world champions.

Harbhajan Tips Lanka

to Topple Australia

Sri Lanka can upset Australia in today’s World Cup semifinal because of the defending champions’ weakness against spin, India off spinner Harbhajan Singh said in Durban yesterday. “I think Sri Lanka have a very good chance,” Harbhajan told reporters. “The Australian batsmen are very good players but they tend to play too many shots against spinners which doesn’t always click.”

Harbhajan, who captured 32 wickets in India’s 2-1 win over Australia, said Muralitharan, Aravinda de Silva and Jayasuriya would trouble Australia on a slow and low St. George’s Park pitch.

“Sri Lanka have three good spinners and on the Port Elizabeth pitch, they have a very good chance,” he said. Australia start favorites after beaten Sri Lanka by 96 runs in the Super Six stage.

But Harbhajan said: “Kenyan left-arm spinner Aasif Karim took three wickets in two overs without conceding a run on Saturday to bring some pressure on Australia.”

Kenya meet India in the second semifinal at the same venue on Thursday.