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| T.M. Dilshan |
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara hailed Tillakaratne Dilshan as a "pioneering strokemaker" after the opener batted his side into the World Twenty20 final.
Dilshan's 96 not out was only five fewer than the West Indies managed for the loss of all 10 wickets in Friday's semi-final at The Oval.
He took only 57 balls over his knock, the highest of the tournament to date, as he led Sri Lanka to 158 for five having been inserted by Chris Gayle.
Three wickets from Angelo Mathews in the first over of the reply, at the cost of a single run, then put the Windies on the road to a crushing defeat.
Muttiah Muralitharan weighed in with three wickets of his own while Ajantha Mendis recorded remarkable figures of 4-0-9-2.
Afterwards Sangakkara was full of praise for Dilshan, saying: "I've run out of superlatives to describe him. He's been a pioneering strokemaker in the T20 World Cup and I think the best thing about him for us as a side is over the past year and a half he's understood his role, he's become very responsible and very mature and finally come to understand how just good he is.
"(It was a) fantastic knock, greatly supported by all the other guys around him: Sanath again, a great start; Angelo Mathews, Chamara Silva in the middle and it's a great team effort."
Sangakkara admitted conditions played into his side's hands.
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