Farcical finale won’t tarnish World Cup win, insists Gilchrist

ADAM GILCHRIST hopes Australia’s historic achievement winning the World Cup is not overshadowed by the farcical scenes at the end of the rain-hit final in Barbados.

Australia’s wicketkeeper and batsman walked away with the man-of-the-match award after Saturday’s ninth final for his stunning 149 off 104 balls, which included 13 fours and eight sixes.

His brilliant innings, regarded by captain Ricky Ponting as one of the best ever, was the highest individual score in a final and helped Australia clinch a 53-run triumph under the Duckworth-Lewis method.

But Gilchrist fears Australia’s record third successive World Cup win could be tainted after a chaotic finish in which the players were forced to bowl the final three overs in near darkness.

The teams had left the field for bad light and umpires wrongly ruled that if they did not return they would have to play out the remainder the following morning.

“We’re not letting the events at the end tarnish anything this team has achieved in this whole tournament,” stressed Gilchrist.

“We’ve had 29 undefeated World Cup games, we’ve had 23 wins in a row and the way we’ve played our cricket here and what we’ve achieved has been phenomenal.

“It’s been an amazing summer and an amazing World Cup campaign.”

Gilchrist’s views were echoed by skipper Ponting, whose own 140 to win the 2003 final in Johannesburg against India was eclipsed by Gilchrist’s whirlwind knock.

It enabled the Aussies to run up a formidable 281 for four in a game shortened to 38 overs a side, although Sri Lanka’s target was later reduced to 269 off 36 overs after further showers.

Any hopes Sri Lanka had depended on one of their top four matching Gilchrist with a brilliant innings.

Upul Tharanga set the right tone by driving the first ball of their reply through the covers for four but edged behind in his next over.

For 17 overs Sangakkara with Sanath Jayasuriya piled on 116 runs to keep Sri Lanka’s hopes alive.

The inspired introduction of Hogg, however, virtually ended the contest when he induced Sangakkara into a mistimed pull straight to Ponting at mid-on for 54.

Just three overs later Jayasuriya followed him back to the dressing room after being bowled by left-arm spinner Michael Clarke and, with showers threatening and light fading, so to did Sri Lanka’s hopes.

Ponting hailed Gilchrist’s key innings: “To go out and do it in a World Cup final and hardly miss the middle of the bat for most of the day was unbelievable. It’s one of the best innings I’ve ever seen.

“There was one difference between the two sides and the outcome of the game and that was his innings and that’s as much praise as I can give someone after a game.”

Gilchrist, 35, also confirmed he would not be following team-mate Glenn McGrath into retirement and plans to continue playing one-day cricket for Australia.

He said: “My plan is to carry on playing. I will walk away and let things settle down before making a decision like that and my plan at the moment is to carry on playing.”