Adam Gilchrist cracked a blistering century as Australian XI reconfirmed their world champion status by clinching the ICC Super Series competition with a 55-run victory against a star-studded World XI today.
Gilchrist struck the fastest one-day hundred by an Australian with a 79-ball 103 that set the platform for the three-timeworld champions' mammoth 328 for four at the Telstra Dome indoor stadium.
Faced with a daunting target against the controlled aggression of the Aussie pace bowlers, the World XI ended up with 273 all out in the 46th over to concede an unassailable 2-0 lead to the hosts in the three-match series.
The Indian duo of Virender Sehwag (21) and Rahul Dravid (26) once again failed to stand up to their reputation. Sehwag was snared by a short-pitched delivery by Brett Lee while Dravid was bowled for the fourth time in his last five innings, this time to the teasing off-spin of Andrew Symonds.
It was Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara (61) again who turned out to be the saving grace for World XI while West Indian opener Chris Gayle (54) too set the state-of-the-art roofed stadium alight with his pyrotechnics at the top of the order.
Andrew Flintoff (42) kept the World XI's hopes alive until he spooned up a simple catch off Nathan Bracken's bowling but Kevin Pietersen (16), hampered by a left hamstring strain he picked while fielding, could not produce the magic of the final Ashes Test.
The third ODI would be played at the same venue on Sunday and would be followed by a six-day Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground from October 14-19.
After Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat, it was Gilchrist all the way, with the left-handed opener smashing four massive sixes and eight fours during his fiery knock. The swashbuckling opener, later declared man-of-the-match, raced to his century in 76 balls to upstage the record of former captain Allan Border who had needed 78 balls to reach the three-digit score.
Gilchrist set the tone for the rest of the batting line up as the Australian top order made merry against an attack boasting of the likes of Shoaib Akhtar andFlintoff, who conceded 60 and 64 runs respectively from eight overs each.
In fact, Shaun Pollock's bowlers were made to look like a bunch of nervous school boys by the rampaging Aussies who enthralled the sizeable crowd with some delightful strokeplay.
Gilchrist was not the lone tormentor as Ponting chipped in with a 72-ball 66 (4x4), Damien Martyn stroked a run a ball 54 and Symonds rubbed it in with a cameo 14-ball 30.
Gilchrist, opening with Simon Katich (47), put on 110 runs in just 19.3 overs before the latter was clean bowled by Sri Lankan offie Muttiah Muralitharan who returned the best bowling figures of one for 43 from 10 overs.
Ponting then took over but unlike Gilchrist concentrated more on running between thewicket.
But just when the partnership threatened to acquire dangerous proportions, Gilchrist was snared by part-time off spinnerSehwag. Ponting and Martyn then mixed brilliant running between the wicket with some huge hits to stitch a partnership of 106 runs before the duo were dismissed off consecutive balls in the 46th over. While the captain was run out, Martyn's stumps were sent cartwheeling by Flintoff.
However, the loss of these two quick wickets did not affect the tempo of the Aussies as Symonds and Clarke continued to heap misery and took the team past the 300 mark.
A towering six by Symonds in the last over by Jacques Kallis summed up the sheer dominance of the Aussies over the World XI.
Sehwag began on a confident note as he struck four boundaries to race to 21 off 15 balls but the Indian opener had no clue to a quick fast rising delivery from Lee that hit the shoulder of his bat and sat up for an easy catch to Ponting at close.
Gayle, however, kept the momentum going and spanked eight fours and a six for his 48-ball 54.
The left-hander added 98 runs for the second wicket with Sangakkara before he was caught behind off Shane Watson.
The Sri Lankan then became the first of two run out victims, his 61 coming off only 44 balls with nine fours and a six.
Brian Lara and Kallis both fell at 157 and when Dravid and Flintoff, after adding 63 runs for the sixth wicket, were gone in the space of five runs, the game had already slipped out of theWorld XI's grasp.
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Brief Scores: Australian XI: 328-4 in 50 overs (Adam Gilchrist 103,Ricky Ponting 66) beat World XI 273 all out in 45.3 overs (Kumar Sangakkara 61, Chris Gayle 54, AndrewFlintoff 42) by 55 runs.
PTI
