Bhubaneswar, April 29: As Australia were crowned the world champions for the third consecutive time in Barbados on Saturday, congratulations poured in from across the globe.

Among the hundreds of people who sent congratulatory messages included eminent sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik. However, Patnaik’s message was a different one. On Sunday he created a beautiful sand sculpture congratulating the Aussies for their impressive performance in the World Cup 2007 final.

Patnaik, who has represented the country several times in sand art competitions, carved an image of Australia’s national flag and placed it near a movable sand trophy.

A bat carved in sand with "congrats" written on it with use of colour made the sculpture look attractive.

The artist took four hours to create the sculpture on the Puri beach and used 10 tonnes of sand. Students of his Golden Sand Art Institute assisted him in completing the work.

Hundreds of tourists gathered near the sculpture to have a closer look.

"Although India failed to make it to the Super Eight, the interest of sports lover in the tournament had not died down because of the presence of Australia till the end. They were always glued to their television sets every time a match was played. I thought I should congratulate the Australian team for their excellent performance through my sand art," said Patnaik.

He stated that he will send a photograph of the sculpture to the Australian Cricket Board as a gift from his side.