I went into the Indian takeaway, to get a meal. They had the cricket on - Sri Lanka versus Australia in the world cup final. Australia were batting first, and were something like 150-1 after 28 overs, with Adam Gilchrist well over 100. It can't have been very busy, as two of the staff were sitting out the front, watching it.
"There's no point in watching," one said. "They've already won."
It's a real pity that the final was so one-sided, it was a pity to end such a great tournament that way. Sri Lanka didn't play *badly*. They weren't even merely mediocre, they were really quite good. But the Aussie batsmen - Gilchrist in particular - played a blinder.
Perhaps things would have been different if they'd been able to play the full 50 overs each. The Sri Lankan bowlers were beginning to make their presence felt at the end of the Aussie innings, and many of Sri Lanka's batsmen got out because of desperation and bad light. Those saying that the final should always be the full 100 overs make, I think, an excellent point.
