Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand: The Big Battles

Take a look at five player battles that are worth looking forward to from the first semifinal of the 2011 World Cup.
Brendon McCullum Vs Lasith Malinga
Brendon McCullum:  This 29-year old wicketkeeper-batsman who loves to hit the cricket ball out of the ground didn’t have a great outing against the Sri Lankans in the group stages. All he could manage was 14 before being dismissed by Angelo Mathews in Mumbai. If the Kiwis have any hope of going into the final at the Wankhede on April 2, then McCullum will have to fire with all guns blazing. Will Lasith Malinga allow this to happen?
Brendon McCullum @ 2011 World Cup

Matches	Runs	Average	Highest	Strike Rate	50s/100s
7	243	48.60	101	94.92	1/1

Lasith Malinga: In the March 18^th fixture against New Zealand, Lasith Malinga went for 38 runs from 5 overs, but picked up the final wicket of No.11 Hamish Bennett to help Sri Lanka win by 112 runs. The 28-year old with the curly-haired mane is the mainstay of the Lankan bowling, and having taken a hat-trick in the tournament against Kenya, should be looking to get his act together against the Kiwis at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.  
Lasith Malinga @ 2011 World Cup

Matches	Wickets	Economy	Average	Strike Rate	Best
5	8	5.64	21.62	23.0	6/38

McCullum Vs Malinga: Brendon McCullum must be aware of Lasith Malinga’s ability to bowl the toe-crusher. But while he can be trusted to keep his feet intact, it will be interesting to watch how he scores off ‘slinga’ Malinga.