Australia, the team that simply isn’t worth betting against, duly claimed their place in the 2003 World Cup final with a 48-run victory over Sri Lanka at St George’s Park on Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s elimination from the tournament was based on the Duckworth-Lewis method, the irony of which should need no explaining to South Africans.
If it was not an entirely efficient Australian performance — captain Ricky Ponting suggested afterwards that the St George’s Park pitch was worth more than the 212 for seven made by his side – it was nevertheless more than Sri Lanka could cope with. And if the Australians needed Duckworth and Lewis to settle their win, they were well ahead when the match was finally called off with Sri Lanka 123 for seven after 38.1 overs when the rain came down.
At that stage Sri Lanka would have needed to have scored 172 to have been ahead. They were nowhere close. Aravinda de Silva, whose final match for Sri Lanka in all forms of cricket this was, suggested that his side had been let down by their batting after doing all the hard work. This pretty much summed it up.
At times Australia made heavy weather of their batting after a sporting gesture from Adam Gilchrist had cost them their first wicket Gilchrist, as ever, started like a house on fire, but after thumping two fours and a six in his 20-ball 22, he swept at De Silva, bottom-edging the ball onto his pad and up into the hands of wicketkeeper Kumar Sanakkara. Umpire Rudi Koetzern was already shaking his head and saying ”not out” as Gilchrist turned off towards the dressing room.
De Silva said it was a ”good gesture” on Gilchrist’s part. Ricky Ponting, on the other hand, said he had been surprised and that he wouldn’t be encouraging anyone in his dressing room to walk.
Whatever the divergent views, Australia were 34 for one which became 51 for three as Vaas nipped out Matthew Hayden and Ponting. Australia need a partnership and they got it from Symonds and Darren Lehmann who add 93 for the fourth wicket.
Lehmann was finally bowled through the gate by Sanath Jayasuriya for 36 at 144 for four which became 144 for five when Bevan was given out caught at the wicket off the first ball he faced. Bradd Hogg and Ian Harvey both went cheaply before Andy Bichel joined Andrew Symonds at the crease.
The 27-year-old Symonds, who once turned down a chance to play for England A
(and said emphatically on Tuesday that he had no regrets about doing so) was
something of a contentious selection for Australia’s World Cup squad. He had been given a number of opportunities in the past, but never managed to fully establish himself and, in fact, might not have started in Australia ‘s opening game had both Lehmann and Michael Bevan been available.
Against Pakistan at the Wanderers, however, Lehmann grabbed his chance, hammering out a match-winning 143 and at St George’s Park on Tuesday he again held the Australian innings together with an unbeaten 91.
Together with Bichel, Symonds lifted Australia past the 200 mark and a score
that was four runs better than the 208s that had won their previous matches in
Port Elizabeth against England and New Zealand.
Sri Lanka were in it for the first four overs of their innings, but after Hogg had put down Marvan Atapattu at point off Brett Lee, Lee produced as good and as fast a delivery as has been bowled at this World Cup, a 160km/h snorter that uprooted Atapattu’s off stump. Atapattu, who appeared to have swopped roles with Sanath Jayasuriya for the day, was gone for 14, Sri Lanka were 21 for one and the Australian bowling had the start it wanted.
With his tail up, Lee ripped into the Sri Lankan batting. First, though, Glenn McGrath accounted for Jayasuriya who turned one around the corner to backward square, apparently unaware that Symonds had moved into the position. Hashan Tillakaratne was next, caught at the wicket off Lee 3 at 37 for three, followed by Avishka Gunawardene who edged Lee to Ponting at second slip for 1 at 43 for four.
Lee was eventually rested after a six-over opening burst that brought him three for 30. There was, however, to be no respite for the embattled Sri Lankans. Sangakkara tapped Bichel’s first ball to the off and set off for a single, but Bichel’s reactions were quicker than De Silva’s legs. His throw broke the stumps at the striker’s end with De Silva short and out for 11 at 51 for five. Fewer than 14 overs of the innings had been bowled, but the back of the batting had already been broken.
Two more Sri Lankan wickets were to fall, both to Hogg, as Mahela Jayawardene and Russell Arnold failed to add significantly to the total. The Sri Lankans had gone into the game with eight batsmen but only the ninth wicket partnership between Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas lifted the total into three figures before the rain came down.