On this day in 2007, Australia completed a hat-trick of World Cups, lifting the ninth edition of the tournament after beating Sri Lanka in the final. Till date, Australia is the only side to win three World Cups in a row. The Ricky Ponting-led side beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs (D/L Method), leading Australia to a record fourth World Cup triumph.
The hero of the final was Australia's legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, who scored a brilliant 149 off just 104 balls in a game shortened due to rains. In a 38-over match, which was further cut-short to 36 during the Sri Lankan innings due to more rains, Gilcrhist gave the Aussies an electrifying start, putting the Sri Lankans in early pressure.
The first Aussie wicket fell in the 23rd over at the score of 172, when Gilchrist had already reached his century. He slammed eight fours and six sixes enroute the ton, reaching the three-figure mark in 72 deliveries. As he celebrated the moment, Gilchrist raised his left hand and showed off his gloves. The fans were justifiably confused at the time, but Gilchrist later revealed that he had stuck a squash ball into the glove.
"I’d been using this little device on the advice of a batting coach back in Perth. Often, he’d get me to put this squash ball in my bottom hand, and basically, it’s about putting the glove on, and my coach told me, ‘Try not to grip the bat too much with those last two, maybe three, fingers’,” Gilchrist told ICC in an interview.
In the 282-run chase, Sri Lanka were seemingly cruising with Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara building a threatening partnership but the former's wicket triggered a collapse for the Lankans.
Sangakkara was dismissed on 54, and merely three overs later, part-time spinner Michael Clarke removed Sanath Jayasuriya as well. With Mahela Jayawerdene, Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan all going out cheaply, the Sri Lankan dream of lifting a second World Cup was shattered. The side eventually ended with 215/8 in 36 overs.
Australia ended the tournament undefeated, and also secured a 29-game unbeaten run in the World Cups. Adam Gilchrist was named the Man of the Match.
Sri Lanka would go on to face another World Cup final heartbreak in the next edition, as India defeated the side by six wickets in 2011. Australia, too, faced a defeat to India in the quarterfinals of the edition. However, the Aussies lifted the 2015 World Cup at home.
