Aussie Juggernaut Rolls Into Final

Showing exemplary fighting abilities, defending champions Australia once again came outvictorious from a difficult situation as they defeated Sri Lanka by a 48-run margin in a rain-affected matchat Port Elizabeth today to march into their third consecutive World Cup final.

Pushed into a corner by Sri Lanka who restricted them to 212 for seven, Australia retorted with all their might toreduce the challengers to 123 for seven in 38.1 overs after which play had to be abandoned due torain.

The Duckworth-Lewis rule for rain-affected games calculated that Sri Lanka, after 38 overs, needed to have 172on the board and the same number of wickets in hand to have claimed victory.

The victory avenged Australia's defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the 1996 World Cup and also kept the team oncourse to become the first side since West Indies in 1979 to win two consecutive World Cups.

In the final in Johannesburg on Sunday, two-time champions Australia will take on the winners of Thursday's semi-final between India and Kenya. 

Australia's worst fears were looking to come true when their batsmen struggled against the Sri Lankan attack, whichwas backed by superb fielding, on a slow St George's pitch to post a modest total.

A fighting unbeaten 91 by Andrew Symonds was the only honourable knock in an otherwise lacklustre Australian batting performance.

But like England and New Zealand realised in earlier matches, Australia had tremendous resilence to wriggle out ofa tight situation. Led by express speedster Brett Lee, the Australians ripped apart the Sri Lankan batting line-up whichcontained as many as eight specialist batsmen.

Lee claimed three wickets while Bradd Hogg took two. Andy Bichel, thoughwicketless, bowled an outstanding spell, conceding just 18 runs from his 10overs.

Australia had virtually assured themselves of a final berth in the first 17 overs itself, having reduced Sri Lanka to 60 for six. But wicketkeeper Kumara Sangakkara, who earlier in the day dismissed four Australian batsmen, fought doggedlyto make an unbeaten 39 and keep his team going till the 39th over.

Sangakkara added an invaluable 47 runs with Chaminda Vaas, who scored 21 not out, to carry Sri Lanka past 100-runsand save it some blushes.

Earlier, Vaas and Aravinda de Silva put Sri Lanka on top with fine spells. Vaas, who claimed three wickets, took histournament tally to 23 to become the highest wicket-taker in any single World Cup.

But it was de Silva who started the Australian slide. Australian openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden took 34runs in the first five overs, forcing Sanath Jayasuriya to introduce his spin attack as early as the sixth over.

De Silva produced the goods at once sending back Gilchrist who made 22 off 20 balls with two fours and a six.While attempting a sweep shot, Gilchrist edged a delivery that rolled on to his pads before being caught bySangakkara.

Umpire Rudi Koertzen was unsure whether the ball had touched the bat and declared not out but Gilchrist walked back in arare sporting gesture.

Vaas then cleaned up Ponting (2) and Hayden (20) as Australia slipped to 51 for three in the 13th over.

Darren Lehmann, who scored 36, put on a 93-run stand for the fourth wicket with Symonds in nearly 23 overs to bring theinnings back on track before Jayasuriya struck twice off successive balls to negate the advantage.

Lehmann, who hit two fours in his 66-ball knock, was bowled on the last ball of the 35th over while Michael Bevanearned a first ball nought when he was caught behind off the first ball of Jayasuriya's next over.

However, Symonds, whose easy stumping chance was messed up by Sangakkara when on 33, kept the Australians going. Hewas fairly comfortable against the spinners and even hit de Silva for a massive six that landed outside the stadium.

After the cheap dismissals of Bradd Hogg (8) and Ian Harvey (7), Symonds, who hit seven fours and a six, put on 37runs for the unfinished eighth wicket with Andy Bichel.

Bichel, who played important knocks in Australia's wins against England and New Zealand, once again showed his prowesswith the bat and remained unbeaten on 19 from 21 balls.

A total of 212 might not have looked intimidating but the Australian bowlers were surely capable enough to defend it.

Sri Lanka's demise started in the fourth over when a 160.1kmph Brett Lee delivery shattered the stumps of theirin-form batsman Marvan Atapattu who made 14 runs. Wickets tumbled at regular intervals after that as Jayasuriya (17),Hashan Tillakaratne (3) and Avishka Gunawardene (1) fell cheaply.

By the 13th over, when the veteran de Silva was run out to fall as the fifth wicket with the score on 51, the SriLankan defeat became an imminent possibility.

Sangakkara made the most of a losing battle, trying till the end to build a partnership but a woefully out of formMahela Jayawardene and Russel Arnold were unequal to the task.

Vaas gave admirable support to Sangakkara though, remaining unbeaten on 21, the second highest score of the innings.

Rain denied the Australians an outright victory but could not prevent them from storming into the final.

PTI