BRILIANCE OF AUSTRALIA IN WO
AUSTRALIA HAD COMPLETED THE HATRIC

Australia have stamped their authority on the cricket world by winning their fourth and the third successive World Cup defeating Sri Lanka in a rain-shortened match at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown (Barbados) by 53 runs.The World Cup final, shortened to 38 overs a side due to an almost three-hour rain-delayed start, failed to live up to its expectations of being a thriller as more rain delays saw Sri Lanka needing to score 269 runs in 36 overs to win their second title thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis system.And Australia’s win was not without its share of drama, as after the 33 overs, it seemed that Sri Lanka had conceded the match after being offered the lights by the umpires. The Australian players started celebrating their fourth World Cup triumph with the scoreboard also flashing the team from Down under as the winner but then the umpires decided to play the remaining three overs in growing darkness as the premier One-Day tournament descended into a farce.Sri Lanka ended their innings on 215/8 in 36 overs to end as the runners up for the first time in the World Cups.