Australia storm into semis

20 September 2007

Stuart Clark, who took 4-20, is congratulated after removing Chamara Silva © Getty Images

Australia made light of captain Ricky Ponting’s absence to clinically dispatch Sri Lanka and book their place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20.

As both sides lost to Pakistan earlier in Group F, this match was effectively a winner-takes-all contest between the World Cup finalists - and it proved one-sided once again as Australia galloped home by 10 wickets.

Matthew Hayden, who overtook England’s Kevin Pietersen as the tournament’s top run-scorer en route to an unbeaten 58, and Adam Gilchrist scythed down the target of 102 in just 10.2 overs in Cape Town.

Hayden finished things in style with his second six of a 38-ball innings, carted over mid-wicket off Jehan Mubarak’s gentle off-spin.

Earlier, acting Australia captain Gilchrist won a useful toss and his bowlers exploited the early-morning moisture in the Newlands surface.

Sri Lanka made a pitiful start against the new ball, not aided by some over-ambitious strokes given the tricky conditions, as three wickets went down in the first three overs.

By the time Stuart Clark had taken a four-wicket haul to become the most prolific bowler in the tournament with 12, Sri Lanka were a pitiful 43 for seven.

It took a 40-run stand for the eighth wicket between Mubarak and Chaminda Vaas to ensure some respectability but Sri Lanka were left to rue their inability to adjust their outlook, having played their previous matches at the run-heavy Wanderers in Johannesburg.

The comprehensive win did not come without a downside for Australia, however, as Shane Watson pulled up in his final over, experiencing trouble in the left hamstring which has dogged him over the past year.

Ponting, meanwhile, remains with the squad despite being ruled out of the rest of the action in South Africa with hamstring trouble of his own.

Brett Lee enjoys the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya, lbw second ball © Getty Images

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Australia progress to the final four despite having lost to Zimbabwe and Pakistan in their five matches.

But Gilchrist reckons their presence will concern other rivals for the 20-over title.

“We are happy to be at the cut-throat part of the competition now,” said Gilchrist. “A lot of teams would have preferred to see us go out today and hopefully they’re a little bit nervous now we are into that knockout stage.

“Our bowlers were outstanding this morning, our fielding was sharp and we took every chance bar maybe one.

“To chase a big score on that wicket, particularly against the Sri Lanka style of bowling - with their experience of holding the ball back - would have been difficult, so the bowlers definitely won the game for us today.”

Sri Lanka began the competition in style by smashing 260 for six against Kenya, the biggest score in Twenty20 history, and defeated New Zealand to win their group before being eliminated by losses to Pakistan and Australia.

“We were not very consistent, especially with the bat,” bemoaned Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene. “We were very disappointed with the effort today.

“We knew it was a tough task to put runs on the board but the start we got and the way the middle order batted was very disappointing.”