Bridgetown, Barbados
Riding on a brilliant century from Adam Gilchrist, Australia
Saturday became the first country to win the cricket World Cup an
unprecedented fourth time and also completed a unique hat-trick when
they beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs in a weather-hit final here.
After first winning the World Cup in 1987 under Allan Border, Steve
Waugh led Australia to the title in 1999 and then Ricky Ponting
lifted the trophy in 2003 and 2007. They added the World Cup to the
Champions Trophy they won last year in India.
Man-of-the-Match Gilchrist played a dream knock (149, 104 balls,
13x4s, 8x6s) to propel the defending champions Australia to a
massive 281 for four wickets in 38 overs. After delaying the start
of the match, rains again interrupted Sri Lanka's reply before they
finished at 215 for eight in 36 overs at Kensington Oval.
Ponting's side deservedly won, but not before some drama as rains
and poor visibility created huge confusion towards the end -- so
much so that the Australians started celebrating when the umpires
offered the light to the Sri Lankan batsmen, assuming the match was
over.
The batsmen who accepted the light offer and went inside the
dressing room, though the Australians did not. But apparently the
light improved and the batsmen came out to bat for three overs to
complete the formalities.
The win culminated Australia's 11-match winning streak at the
16-nation tournament that lasted seven weeks across nine island
Caribbean nations. Australia have now remained unbeaten in 29
matches in World Cup tournaments.
Ponting, who has now played in four finals, also emulated West
Indies' Clive Lloyd by winning the second World Cup as captain.
Lloyd won the trophy in its inaugural year in 1975 and 1979.
Australia and Sri Lanka reached the final here by beating South
Africa and New Zealand respectively.
Gilchrist, who has not been in his usual batting form until the
final, rose to the occasion and duly registered his 15th century
after heavy morning rains delayed the start of the match. The match
was reduced to 38 over per side due to the delayed start.
Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden gave Australia a whirlwind start after
Ponting won the toss and decided to bat first amid humid conditions.
The two batsmen went after the Sri Lankan attack that was the same
that helped beat New Zealand in the semi-final. They gave little
respect to all six bowlers pressed into service and played their
strokes with gusto.
The left-hander-right-hander combination also played a part in
unsettling the bowlers. They raised 172 for the opening wicket
inside 23 overs to take the wind out of the Sri Lankan sails. Under
their savage onslaught, the Sri Lankans' fielding also fell apart.
Gilchrist finally got out when he top edged a pull shot off pacer
Dilhara Fernando and Chamara Silva took the skier at mid wicket. His
knock was the highest score at a World Cup final. The left-hander
hammered 13 boundaries and eight gigantic sixes.
Hayden was the second best Australian batsman with 38 while Ponting
scored 37. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga took two wickets to be the
most successful bowler.
Sri Lanka started their reply by losing an early wicket. Nathan
Bracken induced an edge from Upul Tharanga to wicket-keeper
Gilchrist to make it seven for one.
Kumar Sangakkara joined opener Sanath Jayasuriya and the two started
the repair work, though the Australian bowlers dominated the
proceedings with their impeccable line and length and sharp
fielding.
At 25 for one, however, Shane Watson, fielding in the deep, made a
mistake as he dropped Sangakkara off Shaun Tait. The batsman was on
eight in the sixth over of the innings, and went on to score 54.
Jayasuriya rubbed the salt in Tait's wound by hitting fours off the
next two balls. Soon the two batsmen completed their 50-run
partnership, off 61 balls.
Later, in one Watson over, part of the second five-over Power Play,
Jayasuriya smashed three fours to unshackle himself. In that over,
13th of the innings, Sri Lanka scored 13 runs.
In the next over, Sangakkara hammered a six and followed it up with
two boundaries off the usually accurate Glenn McGrath, who later
named Man of the Tournament. Sixteen runs came off that over.
Eleven runs came off the next over, bowled by Bracken. At this
stage, the left-hander-right-hander combination was beginning to
gain confidence, taking advantage of the field restrictions during
the Power Play.
Sri Lanka had scored their first 50 off 67 balls when the bowlers
kept a check on them. But their second 50 came off just 27 balls!
Jayasuriya duly completed his career's 64th half-century, off 51
balls and containing eight boundaries.
He and Sangakkara also completed their 100-run second-wicket
partnership off 91 balls as soon as Ponting introduced spin in the
form of Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg.
Sangakkara notched up his 40th half-century off 50 balls (5x4s,
1x6). But in the same Hogg over he was out, his pull shot caught by
Ponting at short midwicket for 54 (52 balls, 6x4s, 1x6).
Sangakkara and Jayasuriya added 116 runs for the second wicket in
17.4 overs.
Captain Mahela Jayawardene, who had scored a century in the
semi-finals, joined Jayasuriya. But Sri Lanka's next stand was worth
just 22, as Jayasuriya was soon bowled trying to attempt an
ambitious shot off the change bowler Michael Clarke even as the dark
clouds threatened to disrupt the match again. He made 63 (67 balls,
9x4s).
When Sri Lanka were 149 for three in 24.5 overs, rains came down
again and their target was reset as per Duckworth and Lewis method
for interrupted matches.
The Emerald Islanders, who needed 133 runs off 79 balls at 10.1 runs
per over when the rains came, now needed 269 runs off 36 overs. It
meant that 13 runs and two overs were deducted from the original
target of 282 in 38 overs.
Soon after resumption, Watson had Jayawardene leg before the wicket
for 19 to reduce Sri Lanka to 156 for four.
Now, it all depended on the Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan
take their team ashore as the target was getting stiffer by the
over.
Silva managed 21 and Dilshan 14 and the tailenders just did not have
the stomach to put up the fight as the required run rate climbed
beyond their reach.
Michael Clarke, with two wickets, was surprisingly Australia's best
bowler.
Scoreboard
Australia innings
AC Gilchrist c Silva b Fernando 149
ML Hayden c Jayawardene b Malinga 38
RT Ponting run out (Jayawardene) 37
A Symonds not out 22
SR Watson b Malinga 3
MJ Clarke not out 8
Extras (lb 4, w 16, nb 3) 23
Total (4 wickets; 38 overs) 281
To bat MEK Hussey, GB Hogg, NW Bracken, SW Tait, GD McGrath
Fall of wickets1-172 (Hayden, 22.5 ov), 2-224 (Gilchrist, 30.3 ov),
3-261 (Ponting, 35.4 ov), 4-266 (Watson, 36.2 ov)
Bowling
WPUJC Vaas 8-0-54-0 (2nb, 1w)
SL Malinga 8-1-49-2
CRD Fernando 8-0-74-1 (1nb, 4w)
M Muralitharan 7-0-44-0 (2w)
TM Dilshan 2-0-23-0 (1w)
ST Jayasuriya 5-0-33-0
Sri Lanka innings (target: 282 runs from
36 overs)
WU Tharanga c Gilchrist b Bracken 6
ST Jayasuriya b Clarke 63
KC Sangakkara c Ponting b Hogg 54
DPMD Jayawardene lbw b Watson 19
LPC Silva b Clarke 21
TM Dilshan run out (Clarke/McGrath) 14
RP Arnold c Gilchrist b McGrath 1
WPUJC Vaas not out 11
SL Malinga st Gilchrist b Symonds 10
CRD Fernando not out 1
Extras (lb 1, w 14) 15
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