| 16.2.2008
Australia
236 (Gilchrist 118, Clarke 43, Malinga 4-47) beat Sri Lanka
173 (Sangakarra 80) by 63 runs
Scorecard
and ball-by-ball details
You
have to give it to Adam Gilchrist - he does have some sense
of timing. In his last innings at the WACA, with Australia
under a little bit of pressure half-way through the final
edition of the CB Series, Adam Gilchrist and his little
squash ball treated an adopted home crowd to a measured
hundred that was exactly one half of his side's 236.
That
total seemed rather disappointing given how well Sri Lanka
did to dismiss Australia in 49.4 overs, but it was a similar
pattern when they came out to bat. Australia's pace bowlers
got stuck in early and Kumar Sangakkara - left to resuscitate
a haemorrhaging run-chase - waged a lone battle with 80
as Sri Lanka fell 63 runs short, handing Australia a bonus
point.
Forced
to bowl on a hard surface, Sri Lanka struck early to get
rid of Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, leaving Gilchrist
with plenty to do. This wasn't a typical Gilchrist innings
for sheer exhilaration or devastating off-side flaying -
he scored 58% of his runs on the leg side - but it was determined
in execution. He didn't entirely hook or cut on dancing
feet; instead he nudged and pushed and drove, relying on
placement over power.
Without
any needless risks, Gilchrist ticked along at a fine strike-rate
and kept the run-rate at near five an over. Still, he whet
the appetite with two sixes as he raised fifty from 57 balls.
Gilchrist dominated the century stand with a patient Michael
Clarke, flicking and pushing singles and became the fourth
batsman to aggregate 9000 runs as an ODI opener.
Given
a life on 78 when Lasith Malinga failed to judge a catch
at midwicket, Gilchrist raised his 16th ODI hundred after
Sri Lanka hit back with the wickets of Clarke and Andrew
Symonds in succession. He previously only had one hundred
at this venue, against Sri Lanka in 2005-06, and his effort
was appreciated with a tumultuous din. Promptly, he celebrated
with a huge six over deep square leg off Muttiah Muralitharan.
Sri
Lanka did well to run through the lower order inside 50
overs - while Gilchrist was there it seemed Australia would
touch 275 - but they floundered with the bat. With 29 in
three overs a needless shot from Sanath Jayasuriya, giving
Nathan Bracken the charge, went straight to a well-positioned
third man. Mitchell Johnson went right through Tillakaratne
Dilshan's defences with a yorker-length delivery. Ponting
dropped Jayawardene at second slip but managed to hold onto
one later to send the Sri Lankan captain on his way for
21. The fourth wicket fell as Chamara Silva drove hard at
Bracken and Symonds, diving to his left at cover, intercepted
it one-handed - except replays suggested that Symonds may
have grounded the ball.
While
the rest of his top-order team-mates flashed and faltered,
Sangakkara was firm. Shoring up the situation he put away
the expansive shots and stuck to tight defence and pushed
the two inclusions for this match, James Hopes and Brad
Hogg, into the leg-side spaces. Hayden dropped Chamara Kapugedera
on 16, at second slip, but Hopes, with his slow-medium pace,
snapped a threatening partnership of 53. Hopes slipped in
a well-directed bouncer and a pulling Kapugedera was well
held by Michael Hussey, diving forward from deep midwicket.
Sangakkara
went past his half-century from 80 balls as Sri Lankan hopes
faded. With no one around to work the strike, Sangakkara
began to chance his arm and a chipped shot fell about a
yard short of Lee at long-on. Having just been reprieved
by a fielding error when he ended up at the same end as
Sangakkara, Farveez Maharoof slogged Hogg to deep midwicket
to make it 6 for 159. Chaminda Vaas went first-ball courtesy
an awful swipe across the line and Johnson and Lee nipped
out the last two wickets.
Australia
ultimately had Gilchrist's excellent hundred to thank and
the home crowd acknowledged their hero with another standing
ovation. At the twilight of his international career Gilchrist
showed how much he will be missed in this unit.
Jamie
Alter is a staff writer at Cricinfo
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