The Dream Final:

After everything that both these teams and indeed countries have been through recently only the completely heartless would deny them their moment at Lords this afternoon. Sri Lanka and Pakistan renew the friendliest rivalry in sport. They truly are the best of friends, both in cricketing terms and personally. Pakistan has been starved of tours. India wouldn't tour and nor would England, Australia and New Zealand. Only Sri Lanka could be relied on to come and they almost paid with their lives.

“They are very nice guys, because we are very close,” said Pakistan's captain Younus Khan. “I’m very close to Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan], [Kumar] Sangakkara. They are very fantastic guys and they perform especially in the field. They have not big fast bowlers. They have no Chaminda Vaas. They are still doing well for their country, so I think they are a very talented team and especially at the moment for their fielding. They have a good chance, but everyone knows about us, if we play to our potential we’ll be beating any team. They have a very talented team and we are also good, so that’s why we are in the final.”

Naturally thoughts will turn to the Lahore atrocity. The Sri Lankans know that they are lucky to be alive. “It was very wrong,” said Khan. “It was the first time, especially in Asia, these kind of things happen in sport, so I think it’s really hurting for us at the moment and we are very sad – both of the teams are sad. All our nation is very sad about that. When this thing happened every call said please protect them – please take care them. I think there are still a lot of memories from that incident.”

But both sides want to think about cricket. “I think it will be a good final and the crowd was very fantastic,” said Khan. “We were very close last time, so this time we must do it at the finish. I think we do not worry about anything. There’s no pressure on [Shahid] Afridi because we have match-winners. Players like Umer Gul, Mohammad Aamir and Saeed Ajmal and a couple of good in-form batsmen, so I think there’s no pressure only on particular batsmen or bowlers, so I think somebody have a good day or lucky day he will win the match for us.”

Nice Guys who didn't come Last:

If Pakistan don't win, there's nobody they would begrudge it to less than the Sri Lankans. They have proved themselves the best friends Pakistani cricket ever had. But they are in no doubt. The Sri Lankans want to win as well. “I think they [Pakistan] probably learned a few things along the way,” said their captain Kumar Sangakkara. “They will always be a competitive side – temperamental, but you’re always wary of them when you play against them, so we’re not going to take anything lightly or for granted. We’re going to enjoy ourselves, enjoy your cricket and that’s what we’ve done throughout the tournament. We’re very happy to be where we are. If we can go one step further, that’s saying that all our hard work has really paid off.”

They have carried the tag of favourites well throughout the tournament, ruthlessly defeating opponents with the best balanced team in the competition, but make no mistake, although they are very nice guys, they want to win. “It will be another World Cup since 1996,” said Sangakkara. “It will be great for everyone who supports cricket. The whole country supports the team. It will be great for everyone concerned including us to win such a major championship. I’ve been in one final before that semi-final, but now another final. You can’t ask for anything more after that to really win one, so we have guys in the team who’ve already tasted victory and they’ve always told us there’s no feeling like that, so that will be any cricketer’s dream, so hopefully ours will come true tomorrow.”

After everything that they have been through – not just the Lahore atrocity, but playing cricket for many years in a war-torn country, nobody can begrudge their moment at Lords this afternoon.