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Awesome Aussies toy with Sri Lanka to enter semi-finals
Centurion (South Africa), Mar 07: Reigning champions Australia booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with a 96-run demolition of Sri Lanka in the opening match of the Super Sixes here today.
Centurion (South Africa), Mar 07: Reigning champions
Australia booked their place in the World Cup semi-finals with
a 96-run demolition of Sri Lanka in the opening match of the
Super Sixes here today.
Skipper Ricky Ponting hit 114 off 109 balls and Adam
Gilchrist was run out for 99 as Australia took advantage of
Sri Lanka's bungling in the field to hammer 319 for five from
50 Overs.
The Sri Lankans were shot out for 223 in reply after
express bowler Brett Lee sent captain Sanath Jayasuriya to
hospital with a bruised left forearm and then wrecked the top
order with three wickets to make it 48 for 4.
Veteran Aravinda De Silva played a lone hand with a
superb 92 off 94 balls, but the damage done by lee at the
start made victory impossible as the required run-rate rose to
nine an over half way through the innings.
Jayasuriya was hit on the forearm by a 150kmh delivery in
lee's first over and retired hurt for one. X-rays taken at
hospital did not reveal a fracture but a chipped bone in the
thumb kept him out of the rest of the game.
Australia, who carried forward a maximum 12 points after
winning all six preliminary round matches, earned four more
and found themselves in the semi-finals even before their two
remaining super sixes games against New Zealand and Kenya.
Sri Lanka contributed to their own downfall by a comedy
of errors in the field after Australia won the toss and
elected to bat.
Bureau Report