World Twenty20: Can Sri Lanka become third time lucky?

Zee Media Bureau/Chaitan Papnai

Mirpur: In the first semifinal of the on-going ICC World Twenty20, Sri Lanka beat defending champions West Indies to reach the final. This is the third time in five occasions that Lankan team has booked a berth in the finals of the coveted title. But Sri Lanka haven`t managed to win the title so far. Lanka first reached the final in second edition of the tournament which took place in England in 2009. But in the finals, they were thrashed by another sub-continent team Pakistan by eight wickets. Then in 2012, while hosting the event, Sri Lanka once again reached the final of World Twenty20. But this time too, they couldn`t manage to lift the trophy, as on this occasion, West Indies got the better of them and won the match by 36 runs. This time around, Lanka once again entered the final after beating the title holders West Indies. And now they will lock horns with the winner of the second semifinal match, which is between India and South Africa. Two Sri Lankan batting maestros - Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - are playing in their last Twenty20 tournament, as they have announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game. The final of the World Twenty20 2014 will be their last match in this format. And Lankan team would love to make the match special for them by winning its maiden World T20 title. So, it would be interesting to see, whether Sri Lanka can become third time lucky in the finals or not.