Cricket: Farveez Maharoof and Muttiah Muralitharan ambushed Ireland for the 2007 World Cup's lowest total to set up Sri Lanka's eight-wicket win in today's Super Eight match at Queen's Park.
Ireland lost three wickets in four balls with the score stuck on 28 in Maharoof's first over — and Murali waded in with four for 19 to help finish the minnows off for just 77.
Sri Lanka's batsmen then wrapped up an uneven contest in under 10 overs before lunch — to make sure of finishing third at worst in the table, almost certainly avoiding favourites Australia and instead facing New Zealand in Jamaica in next week's semi-finals.
For Ireland, it was an unfortunate final performance in what has been a patchy but largely admirable campaign.
They were put in on a sunny morning but on a pitch offering seam movement — and with the help of five ducks, were bundled out in 27.4 overs, losing six wickets for eight runs at one stage.
Maharoof's eventful opening over came after he was introduced in place of the highly economical Nuwan Kulasekara.
The medium-pacer's first two balls were dispatched for boundaries by Jeremy Bray — prompting him to switch to round the wicket.
It was a move which paid immediate dividends when Bray checked his intention for another big shot and spliced a catch to short extra-cover.
Andre Botha lasted only two balls before edging behind as Maharoof (four for 25) got movement away off the pitch from his new, unlikely angle to the left-handers.
A ball later, it was the same story — Eoin Morgan the man to go for a golden duck, with Kumar Sangakkara this time taking an outstanding one-handed catch diving away to his left.
Niall O'Brien and Will Porterfield avoided more damage for 10 overs — until the opener fell to Maharoof, aiming to hit to leg but managing only to hole out to mid-on.
Murali's arrival was cunningly timed for the next over and he struck with his second ball when O'Brien was caught behind pushing up the line.
Kenny Carroll was therefore put in an unenviable position, needing to keep out the remaining four balls of the over on his World Cup debut.
He fell to the second, trying to sweep the master off-spinner only to be bowled middle-stump round his legs.
Trent Johnston was run out by Maharoof, throwing down the wickets after intercepting a drive in his follow-through and leaving Ireland at the mercy of Murali.
Unsurprisingly that did not extend too far, although Dave Langford-Smith, dropped on four by Maharoof off Murali, did enough in a last-wicket stand of 23 to help Ireland down to sixth in the list of all-time lowest Cup scores.
In their haste to complete the formalities, Sri Lanka lost Upul Tharanga for a duck and Sangakkara cheaply too to aerial off-side shots off Boyd Rankin and Langford-Smith respectively.
But Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene, put down on seven at mid-on, duly ensured there would not be a significant wobble.