Aussies thrash Sri Lanka

PRETORIA: Defending champions Australia thrashed Sri Lanka by 96 runs yesterday in the opening Super Six match of the Cricket World Cup, avenging their 1996 Cup final defeat and extending their record limited-overs winning stretch to 13 matches.

Ricky Ponting blazed 114 and Adam Gilchrist fired 99 off 88 balls as Australia scored 319 for five off their 50 overs. “Yeah, it was a pretty good match for the guys,” said Ponting. “We batted well and executed our plans; I thought we played their spinners very well. “We set a very good total batting first and then bowled well at the start as well.” Brett Lee snared three early wickets as the Sri Lankans were skittled for 223 in 47.4 overs, with injured skipper Sanath Jayasuriya unable to resume his innings after being struck on the wrist by a short ball from the fast bowler in the second over. The highlight was a fighting 92 from Aravinda de Silva, who bludgeoned Lee in the later overs and surpassed 1,000 runs in World Cup matches. “It wasn’t our day —- we didn’t bowl well and paid the price,” said Jayasuriya, who hoped to be fit for the next match against India. It was Australia’s first World Cup match against Sri Lanka since losing the 1996 final in Lahore, Pakistan. The win also extended Australia’s World Cup unbeaten stretch to 14 matches, including the tied semi-final against South Africa in England four years ago. Jayasuriya said the Australians weren’t invincible — his team inflicted the last defeat on the Aussies in Sydney on Jan 9 — as long as teams could stick with them for more than the first hour. Yesterday’s victory virtually secured Australia’s entry into the semi-finals, having carried forward the maximum 12 points from the preliminary league. Their remaining Super Six matches are against New Zealand and Kenya.                        (AP)