Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting (right), and Matthew Hayden celebrate their victory over Sri Lanka after the World Cup final in Barbados. Australia lifted the World Cup trophy for a record third successive time after claiming a 53-run victory over Sri Lanka in a farcical ending to a rain-shortened match. - Reuters
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
BRIDGETOWN:
THE 2007 Cricket World Cup ended in style at Kensington Oval here yesterday with Australia, the mighty and invincible men from Down Under, walking away with the magnificent trophy as champions of the world and with the winners' prize of US$2.4 million in their pockets.
In the showdown, cut short by 24 overs due to morning showers and, after going off and coming back again, ending in twilight at 6:25 p.m., Australia, winning the toss 40 minutes after the scheduled start, electing to bat and starting to bat another two hours and five minutes later due to more rain, and thanks to a magnificent and unforgettable century by Adam Gilchrist, raced to 281 for four off the allotted 38 overs.
Chasing 269 off 36 overs, according to Duckworth/Lewis, Sri Lanka, as well as they tried, could only muster 215 runs for eight wickets and lost by 53 runs.
In winning the match, Australia not only capped their fourth successive final with their third victory, not only, following their triumphs of 1987, 1999 and 2003, made it four titles out of a possible nine, but also, after 1999 and 2003, made it a hat-trick of titles.
In winning the match, Australia, the pre-tournament favourites who started with a crushing victory over Scotland in their first match, also made it a post-to-post victory.
A perfect 11
In winning the match and losing only four wickets, the gold brigade also finished with a perfect 11 from 11, while not losing more than six wickets in any match and thus underlined their claim as the game's best, probably of all time, but undoubtedly so since the glory days of the West Indies.
In winning the match, Australia, not only made it two 11-straight in back to-back World Cup tournaments following their unblemished performance in 2003, but starting at Lord's in 1999, they also stretched their winning run to an imposing 23.
Led by Gilchrist, and with due respect to Sri Lanka, to pacers Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, to offspinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Tillakaratne Dilshan, it was, as far as scoring runs was concerned, like taking from a candy from a baby - and a very young one at that.
In a performance never to be forgotten, in one of the greatest and most brutal innings ever played in a World Cup match much more in a final, in registering the highest individual score in a World Cup final, Gilchrist - the explosive 35-year-old left-hander from Western Australia, the man rated as the greatest wicketkeeper/batsman who ever lived, and the man from whom much was expected but who, before yesterday, was surprisingly quiet during the tournament, was simply brilliant while blasting 13 fours and eight sixes while smashing 149 off a mere 104 deliveries.
Crowd entertainment
After taking strike and getting off the mark with a single to backward square-leg off Vaas, Gilchrist, the man who scored 54 off 36 deliveries in the final at Lord's in 1999, the man who scored 57 off 48 deliveries in the final at the Wanderers in 2003, and the man who posted 172 runs in a few deliveries less than 23 overs with an unusually quiet Matthew Hayden yesterday, entertained the bumper crowd, some 26,000 or more cheering fans from all around the world, with some scintillating, powerful and audacious strokes.
As if chalking his cue, Gilchrist, in the third over of the innings, swung the left-handed Vaas to the backward square-leg boundary, hit the next delivery from the feared swing bowler high over long-on for six and then, with captain Mahela Jayawardene mercifully pulling his ace pace bowler out of the firing line, the veteran moved into Fernando and thumped him for two fours and a six in one over as he sped to his 50 at 70 without loss off 43 deliveries with five fours and two sixes.
After that, it was blue murder as the Australian, after hitting Dilshan for a couple of sixes off consecutive deliveries, after driving Fernando over long-off for six and after hitting the usually unhittable Muralitharan over straight mid-wicket for six, dashed to his century, at 148 without off 21 overs, off 72 deliveries, with eight fours and six sixes.
When he was dismissed, caught by Chamara Silva at mid-wicket off Fernando at 224 for two in the 31st over, he went away with a broad smile and to a standing ovation.
Batting with Gilchrist, Hayden played some lovely strokes and hit one superb six - a drive over long-off off Malinga before he drove at the pacer and was caught by Jayawardene in the covers for 38. Batting after Gilchrist, captain Ricky Ponting, 37, and Andrew Symonds,23 not out, enjoyed themselves while playing some lovely strokes.
Nothing, however, compared with Gilchrist's effort. It was truly a brilliant performance.
Set a victory target of 282 off 38 overs at an average rate of 7.42 runs per over, Sri Lanka, even with Sanath Jayasuriya, Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in their line-up, never had a chance - and especially so with pacers Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait and Glenn McGrath, plus Shane Watson, left-arm spinner Brad Hogg and offspinner Symonds in Australia's attack.
To their everlasting credit, however, they did give a try and had their army of supporters chanting, "Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka" when after, Upul Tharanga had flirted with a Bracken delivery outside the offstump and edged a catch to Gilchrist, the left-handers Jayasuriya, 63, and Sangakkara, 54, sailed into Bracken, Tait and McGrath and spanked a partnership of 116 in 18 overs before they departed the scene almost one behind the other.
set to make Australia sweat
Just as they appeared set to make Australia sweat a little, Sangakkara, after facing 52 deliveries, stroking six fours and hitting one six, went back and pulled a short delivery from Hogg straight to Ponting at short mid-wicket to make it 123 for two in the 20th over. Three overs after that, in Michael Clarke's first over and with the run rate required just nine an over, Jayasuriya, after batting for 67 deliveries and stroking nine fours, swept at the left-hander, missed the ball, and was bowled at 145 for three.
The two batsmen, who together hit 15 fours and one six on a day when, between the two sides, 40 strokes flashed to the boundary and 12 sailed over it, played some glorious strokes.
None, however, was better than two by Jayasuriya off Tait - one over cover and one through extra-cover, and one by Sangakkara - a glorious chip and drive for six over mid-wicket off McGrath which, but for the Greenidge and Haynes double-decker, may well have travelled so far that it may well have dropped out where the sky meets the sea.
SCOREBOARD
Australia innings
A. Gilchrist c Silva b Fernando
