Australia's captain Ricky Ponting hits a four as Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara (left) watches during their World Cup cricket Super Eights match in St. George's, Grenada yesterday. - reuters

st. george's, grenada, cmc

Australia extended their winning streak in the 2007 Cricket World Cup to eight matches when they completed an uncomplicated seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the National Stadium here yesterday.

In an affair that lacked spark and imagination, Sri Lanka got half-centuries from Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva before being dismissed for 226 off 49.4 overs, with the exemplary left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken grabbing four wickets.

Australia, in reply, strolled to their target of 232 for three in 42.4 overs overs, thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from captain Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds.

Though having already qualified for the semi-finals, Australia went with a full strength side while Sri Lanka, also already assured of a place in the final four, signalled their intentions by leaving out key bowlers, champion off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Sri Lanka had a disastrous start when they lost Sanath Jayasuriya (12), Kumar Sangakkara (0) and Upul Tharanga (12) within the first seven overs of the morning.

Jayawardene then stroked an attractive 72 from 88 balls with five fours and a six and shared a critical 140-run stand for the fourth wicket with Chamara Silva whose 64 came from 106 balls and included six fours, to set the stage for Sri Lanka's eventual total.

Off to a flyer

Australia got off to a flyer thanks to Matthew Hayden's 30-ball 41 and Adam Gilchrist's 30 from 49 balls, as the two added 76 in 71 balls for the first wicket before being parted.

When Australia slipped to 126 for three in the 24th over, Ponting hammered 66 from 80 balls four fours and one six and Symonds stroked 63 from 71 balls with five fours and two sixes in an unbroken partnership of 106 to ensure the world champions' unbeaten streak remained in tact.

It was Bracken, voted the eventual Man-of-the-Match for his four for 19, who was the architect of Australia's victory. Sharing the new ball with the wayward Shaun Tait, he accounted for openers Jayasuriya and Tharanga in a period that saw three wickets fall for one run in the space of 10 balls.

Operating from the northern end, he trapped the left-handed Jayasuriya lbw in the day's fifth over with the score on 26 and picked up his second wicket, the third to fall, when Tharanga edged to Hayden at second slip in the seventh over with the total on 27. In between, Glenn McGrath, who had replaced Tait after the rookie sent down two overs for 18 runs, also had Sangakkara lbw.