Gilchrist fires Australia to World Cup victory
Australia claimed the trophy for the third successive tournament
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Saturday, 28, Apr 2007 11:40
Adam Gilchrist hit one of the greatest one-day innings of all time to help Australia to a 53 run win against Sri Lanka under the Duckworth Lewis method. The Aussie batsman scored 149 off 104 balls.
Australia won the toss and scored 281-4 while Sri Lanka could only manage 215-8 in reply in a match that was reduced to 38 overs per side because of rain which delayed the start of the game.
Gilchrist was in imperious form while his opening partner Matthew Hayden (38) struggled with the pace of Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga.
Sri Lanka's bowlers had no answer to the Gilchrist onslaught and the Australian punished the many errant deliveries that came his way on a regular basis.
The wicketkeeper-batsman scored his first ever World Cup hundred which was a record breaking innings in a number of ways.
It was the highest ever score in a World Cup final and was also the fastest World Cup final century, coming in just 83 balls. His 172-run partnership with Hayden at the start of the innings was also a World Cup final record.
Gilchrist's innings overshadowed every other batsman, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes, including two huge blows off Tillekeratne Dilshan that cleared the stands.
Malinga was the only Sri Lankan bowler to post economical figures taking 2-49 from eight overs including the wickets of Hayden and Shane Watson (3).
Aussie captain Ricky Ponting was eventually run out for 37 as he tried to up the scoring rate towards the end of the innings while Andrew Symonds contributed 23 not out.
In Reply Sri Lanka lost Upul Tharanga (6) early to the bowling of Nathan Bracken.
But they responded well with Sanath Jayasuriya (63) and Kumar Sangakkara (54) taking the attack to the Australian bowlers during the power-play overs.
The pair put on a partnership of 116 and looked to be setting a strong platform from which to challenge the Aussies' first innings total.
However their chances of victory took a setback when Brad Hogg deceived Sangakkara and he chipped the ball to Ponting at mid-off.
Jayasuriya soon followed him back to the pavilion, bowled by Michael Clarke, as the weather worsened once again and Sri Lanka tried to keep up with any potential Duckworth Lewis equation.
Play was halted briefly and Sri Lanka's target was readjusted to 269 from 36 overs. The total seemed beyond them at that late stage and a brave effort from Chamara Silva (21) could not prevent a 53 run defeat.
The game ended in total darkness as the sun set quickly on the Kensington Oval, Barbados, but that could not dampen the Australian celebrations.