The champions played outstanding cricket to retain the crown. This is a great Australian team, and it has this priceless ability to have players deliver when needed most. Adam Gilchrist had not done much so far, but in the final, he was so brutal that Jayawardene couldn’t quite get the slump out of his shoulders while the plunder was going on. The damage he caused to Sri Lanka’s psyche was incalculable. The Lankans would have fancied their chances in a curtailed game, especially as they had the advantage of knowing how many they had to score and at what rate. But they had not accounted for the Gilchrist blitzkrieg. He completely threw off balance even the experienced Chaminda Vaas, who was forced to bowl fuller down the leg-side and was as a result wayward.

In a game reduced to 38-overs-a-side, the openers Gilchrist and Hayden took a few overs to get their eye in before beginning the attack. Once that started, the earlier quiet overs were made up for as the scoring rate spiraled. Ponting could take his time to settle down as Gilchrist was on the rampage.

Jayasuriya and Sangakarra took the fight to the enemy camp, though the pitch was hardly helping them as it had slowed down. There is no doubt that the pitch was not quite up to the mark for a World Cup final. Just look at the dismissal of Jayasuriya, who was bowled off a ball that hardly rose. Once he was out, Lanka’s chances faded as quickly as the light was fading, and all Australia had to do was to ensure there were no ‘boundary’ overs.

By winning their 29th consecutive match over three World Cups, the Australians have proved themselves to be true champions.

There is only one candidate for the Man of the match, and that is Adam Gilchrist. He was not among the runs in the earlier matches, but he took the final away from the Lankans with an assault so brutal that the fight went out of the Lankans even before they came in to bat. 13 fours and 8 sixes is testimony of his complete dominance. It was an exhilarating innings, fitting for a World Cup final.