GayleMELBOURNE, Australia, CMC:
ADAM GILCHRIST blazed a record-breaking hundred in laying the foundation for a formidable total as Australia clinched the limited-over segment of the Super Series with a 55-run victory over the Rest of the World XI in the second match yesterday.
The 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman hammered his way to 103 of just 79 deliveries - the fastest ever ODI century by an Australian - in propelling his team to 328 for four after skipper Ricky Ponting chose to bat first again after winning the toss.
Ponting himself contributed 66, putting on 103 runs for the third wicket with Damien Martyn (54), while Simon Katich stroked 47 in a 110-run opening stand with Gilchrist.
Needing victory to keep the series alive, the World XI threatened to overhaul that total after Chris Gayle lived up to his designation as the "super-sub."
The West Indian opener, who took the place of off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan at the start of the run-chase, plundered 54 off 39 balls and with Kumar Sangakkara in similarly aggressive mood in reaching his second half-century in as many matches, the visitors were on course at 151 for two in just the 20th over.
Despite the early loss of Sehwag to a Brett Lee lifter, they looked up for the challenge with Gayle drawing gasps of astonishment when he backed away to slash the express fast bowler 30 metres beyond the cover boundary for the only six of his entertaining innings.
But the Jamaican left-hander seemed to lose patience when kept off strike for a few overs and was caught behind off Shane Watson for 54 attempting another expansive drive.
The 98-run second-wicket partnership with Sangakkara seemed to be the ideal springboard for a concerted assault from the rest of a formidable batting line-up.
However, it was not to be as new batsman Jacques Kallis (11 off 25 balls) struggled to get the ball away, increasing the pressure on Sangakkara who was run out for 61 to trigger the middle-order collapse.
LARA DROPPED
Lara, who was dropped by Gilchrist off Watson, failed to capitalise on the reprieve as he drove left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken to Symonds at cover for the second time in three days to depart for just five.
But the loss of three wickets for six runs, including West Indies star batsman Brian Lara, proved a critical blow from which they could not recover, eventually being dismissed for 273 in the 46th over.
Australia therefore take an unassailable 2-0 lead into the final match, again at Telstra Dome, tomorrow, where Shaun Pollock's team will be looking to make further improvements ahead of the six-day Super Test getting under way next Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
