Australia easily achieved their 20th successive World Cup victory by sweeping aside a Sri Lanka side bereft of its two star bowlers. The result of the match at Queen's Park, Grenada on 16th April, 2007 which virtually assured Australia of top place in the final Super Eight table.

Tom Moody, whose coaching of Sri Lanka during the tournament has been universally praised, made his first controversial decision by resting his two senior bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan in a match featuring two sides already through to the semi-finals.

Moody's strategy may well pay dividends because if the Australians extraordinary run is to be stopped, Muralitharan is the man most likely to upset the applecart. So it was logical to keep him under wraps until the chips are really down.

Should the two teams meet in the final, the surface of the Barbados pitch will suit Sri Lanka's legendary bowler admirably and it should be remembered that Muralitharan was the joker in the pack who upset the Aussies in the 1996 tournament.

The Grenada match was meaningless in a competitive context but was nonetheless entertaining. Sri Lanka batted first and their ship sailed into the quayside wall almost immediately. Sanath Jayasuriya went lbw to Nathan Bracken for 12 and was closely followed by Kumar Sangakkara, who went the same way, for a duck, from a Glenn McGrath delivery.

Upui Tharanga (6) was dismissed in the next over and it was left to Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva to pick up the pieces. They did so in magnificent style. Jayawardene, in particular, played brilliantly and secured 72 runs before being stumped by Adam Gilchrist, off Brad Hogg.

Silva (64) fell in the next over, caught by Michael Clarke, also off a Hogg delivery. Australia's bowlers then turned the screw and soon skittled out the Sri Lanka middle and lower orders. The target at which Australia needed to aim was 226.

As expected, the Aussies went about their batting business in clinical fashion. Openers Matthew Hayden (41) and Gilchrist (30) raced to 76 in just 12 overs before both getting dismissed within three runs of one another. Ricky Ponting (66 not out) and Clarke (23) then combined to put some meat on the bones of Australia's innings.

Ponting was at his most imperious and his subsequent stand with Andrew Symonds (63 not out) was simply superb. Australia (232-3) won by seven wickets and the manner of their victory will have sent even more shivers down the spines of their future opponents.

Article by Julian Armfield, BBC World Service Sport, reporting for Totally Barbados

Article Posted On:
April 19th, 2007

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