Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Following a disappointing 81 run defeat to Sri Lanka, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming has stepped down as skipper of the one-day team after 10 years at the helm.

However, the player announced his intention to continue playing for his country, as he believes there is more to be contributed with the bat.

"I want to keep playing but this was my last game as captain of the one-day squad." Fleming said.

"I still want to captain the Test side. I'm 34, I think I still have a couple good years of batting in me and I want to concentrate on that for a little bit," he remarked.

"I want to keep playing the one-day game as a batsman. There is a lot of pressure when you captain the team and I'd like to finish my career as the type of batsman I think I'm worth.

"I'm grateful for what I have been able to achieve but it I think it's just time for some fresh ideas," Fleming said.

Disappointed

Fleming commended his team for the effort and reaching as far as they did in the competition and while being disappointed in the result, believed it was just a matter of being outclassed by the Sri Lankans on the day.

"We just didn't play well enough. I thought we were just outclassed at key moments and that explains the wide margin of defeat in the game.

"We were a bit nervous out there today, we were desperate to get through into the final but we came up short," he said.

Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who hit a match-winning 115 not out off 109 balls, said he was confident after his team's innings.

"Once we made 240, we were confident our bowling attack could do the job. We got 280 so that was a bonus; it was a big advantage," he said.

Having leapt over the semi-final hurdle, Jayawardene believes his team will be ready to face either South Africa or Australia.

"To win a World Cup you have to be able to beat the best so it does not make a difference who we play. It will be a tough final, but we will be ready.

He added: "This was a very big hurdle to jump and getting there was tough but we are there now and we will give it our best shot."