Bridgetown (Barbados), April 29: Australia won the 2007 ICC World Cup. Sri Lanka won the hearts. As the clock ticked its way towards half past six, it was evident that Saturday’s stop-start final at the Kensington Oval was headed one way, and at 215/8, Sri Lanka’s chase of a revised 269-run target ended in 36 overs, handing Australia a hat-trick of World Cup titles, this time by 53 runs.

With three overs to go, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga chose to take the offer of bad light from umpires Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar. Australia began their celebrations but had to cut them short when the umpires came back out.

Another three overs followed that saw Malinga become the eighth wicket to fall before the last ball of the game was finally bowled by Andrew Symonds.

It allowed Ricky Ponting to tick off the last remaining item on his agenda before heading into the new season. Every target he had set for the team — the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, regaining the Ashes and finally the World Cup hat-trick — now stand achieved. As captain, Ponting has now gone an amazing 22 tournament matches without defeat.

Perhaps because of a sense of déjà vu, the customary celebrations at the end of a World Cup final were muted. The Aussies — unbeaten here with 11 straight victories — did the lap of honour to thank their massed fans, there were handshakes and hugs all round. All of it terribly businesslike, and all of it virtually in the dark.

And by the time Tony Cozier came out to do the post-game presentation, one needed a torch to light up the proceedings. A few other stats that explain why the Aussies are where they are. Gilchrist had 52 victims behind the stumps, a landmark for wicketkeepers at a single World Cup. McGrath finished with 26 wickets, the most by any bowler in this or any other World Cup, and opener Matthew Hayden aggregated 659 runs from 11 matches, marginally behind Sachin Tendulkar’s 671 at the 2003 World Cup.

Earlier, it needed an innings of a lifetime from Gilchrist to set Australia on the victory road. The so-far off-colour opener lashed a 104-ball 149, the highest individual score in a Cup final, to speed his side to a thumping 281/4 from the available 38 overs after rain had washed out two hours and 45 minutes of playing time.

The next highest Aussie score was Hayden’s 38, an indication of how dominant Gilchrist was on the day. He had a life on 31 and the total at 47/0 but the ball came back to Dilhara Fernando low and to his wrong side. It went in, and out, and with it went Lanka’s chances.

Gilchrist and Hayden played out a subdued first power play of 10 overs, putting on 46 runs. The next 10 overs produced 91 and when Hayden fell at 172, Australia were blazing along at seven and a half an over. It was unforgettable stuff and in all, eight sixes were to cascade into the stands off Gilchrist’s blade besides 13 boundaries. Hayden (38) went at 172 and Ponting then helped Gilchrist 52 for the second wicket before Gilchrist skied a Malinga delivery. Mahela Jayawardene ran out Ponting (37) leaving Symonds, Clarke and Watson to get the remaining runs, and by the time the Aussies were done, it was clear that this would be a very hard mountain to climb indeed.

Helping their cause was some poor bowling from the Lankans, for whom Malinga was the lone one to command some respect. Fernando was all over the place — and was hit for 20 in a single over once — and even Muttiah Muralitharan was not spared. In reply, Lanka needed Sanath Jayasuriya to spark, and spark big. He did his best, a crisp 67-ball 63 (9 fours) and along with Kumar Sangakkara (54, 52 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) put on 116 for the second wicket, but once they were separated, it was a matter of time.

Sangakkara played some sweet shots, but the chase was a hard one all the way through. The weather thereafter took over and even as the gloom gathered, Aussie spirits brightened till the fireworks and dancers at the closing ceremony outshone them.