Gilchrist Goes With Flourish
The Age
Saturday February 16, 2008
JUST to remind Australia of what it will be missing, Adam Gilchrist scored his 16th one-day century and scored half the team's runs to farewell his hometown the way he had hoped yesterday.
He felt the occasion and realised the magnitude of the moment, and it became nerve-racking for the Perth crowd as Gilchrist inched towards his slowest one-day ton against a spirited Sri Lanka. He made the final 26 runs with 22 singles and two doubles, but what was perhaps the most celebrated run in West Australian cricket history came in the 39th over off Muthiah Muralidaran.The crowd stood as one and applauded. Gilchrist leapt with joy, his outstretched arms holding bat and helmet, and he walked halfway to the fence towards his cheering fan club. In the end, he scored 118 from 132 balls as Australia was dismissed in the final over for 236 at the WACA Ground. His century came off 117 balls and took nearly three hours, but it was a show the audience had paid to see. The opener featured in partnerships with Australia's top five batsmen, and after his dismissal with the score on 206, the rest could muster only 30 runs. Gilchrist began cautiously, then upped the tempo through the middle of his innings - bringing up his 50 with a six - before taking the foot right off the pedal as he approached the milestone. He was dismissed by Lasith Malinga, who finished with 4-47, after mistiming a lofted shot to be caught by Chamara Kapugedera on the edge of the inner circle. Farveez Maharoof thought he had Gilchrist out on 95 when the hometown hero slashed at a delivery that carried to keeper Kumar Sangakkara but did not connect. Sri Lanka made an early breakthrough when Matthew Hayden was dismissed in the fourth over for four runs. Hayden received a short and deceitfully rising Malinga ball that the Queenslander tried to hook late, only to lob it to Maharoof at square leg. Ponting came in at 1-16 and looked sharp with four boundaries.He seemed to be forming a solid partnership with Gilchrist but was out trying to cut a Chaminda Vaas delivery that went straight to Mahela Jayawardene at slip, dismissed for 25 from as many balls. The skipper was clearly frustrated afterwards and remains without a commanding total in the series, while Jayawardene succeeded in his pre-match declaration to "keep him under pressure". Michael Clarke then proceeded to take the advantage away from the visitors with 43 from 69 balls, which included four wonderfully timed strokes that raced to the fence. After the drinks break, Clarke was felled by a vicious Malinga delivery that thumped into his left ribs, and play was stopped momentarily so he could receive treatment.He was diagnosed with bruised ribs during the break and took no further part in the match. Michael Hussey made a quickfire 25 but the rest of the lower order failed to handle the pace of Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekera (2-52), while Tillakaratne Dilshan brilliantly ran out Mitchell Johnson for a duck with a 25-metre throw. In reply, Sri Lanka got off to a blistering start, but the loss of four wickets slowed the run rate. After 30 overs, it was 4-121.Nathan Bracken and Johnson claimed two wickets apiece before Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Kapugedera steadied the ship for Sri Lanka.
© 2008 The Age