The best-of-three VB Series final will go to a decisive match at the Gabba on Tuesday after Australia steamrolled Sri Lanka by 167 runs in the second leg at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
.jpg)
Massive centuries from Andrew Symonds (151 from 127) and Ricky Ponting (124 from 127), and a quick-fire 50 from local hero Michael Clarke, helped the hosts to 5-368 after winning the toss and electing to bat, the highest one-day international total in Australia, and the seventh biggest ever.
Sri Lanka stumbled early and never really threatened the target, eventually crumbling to be all out for 201.
The mammoth chase started poorly for Sri Lanka with Australia's pacemen combining to dismiss prolific run-scorer Sanath Jayasuriya for a duck, with Brett Lee taking a catch off the bowling of Nathan Bracken to have the visitors on 1-4 in the second over.
Kumar Sangakkara was Bracken's next victim, bowled for 13, before skipper Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene (50) combined for a 48-run partnership as Sri Lanka struggled to recover.
But with such a big target to run down, the visitors had trouble as the run-rate ballooned.
Attaptu made 24 before edging a Stuart Clark ball through to Adam Gilchrist, with Jayawardene continuing on to notch a well-deserved half-century from 47 balls.
The batsman looked to be settling in for a lasting partnership with Russel Arnold, but Brad Hogg was brought into the attack and struck gold immediately, with Jayawardene cutting the ball back onto his stumps off the spinner's first ball.
Any hope of the visitors chasing down the target evaporated when they lost the wickets of Tillakaratne Dilshan (13), Chamara Kapugedara (1) and Chaminda Vaas (0), for seven runs.
Arnold showed a resistance to the Australian attack, bringing up his 50 off 48 balls, and watched as his teammates fell around him, before forming an unlikely 53-run partnership with Muttiah Muralitharan.
Muralitharan belted a six to bring up his highest one-day score of 22, eventually mistiming a Bracken ball to Mick Lewis who took his debut one-day international catch.
Arnold was unbeaten on 64 when Bracken claimed the final wicket of Ruchira Perera.
The big victory was set up by the amazing centuries from Symonds and Ponting.
Ponting made his intentions clear immediately with a towering six, and when joined by Symonds, the pair wasted no time in regaining control of the match.
The skipper smashed four fours and two sixes to bring up his half-century in 52 balls, with Symonds supporting superbly as the momentum shifted from the visitors to the hosts.
Symonds notched his 50 nine overs later, as the pair stepped up the intensity and started to accelerate the run-rate, with Ponting dancing down the wicket to record his century from 108 balls, and Symonds joining him soon after, his 100 coming from just 101 balls.
Ponting had just dished out three fours off the first three balls of Ruchira Perera's over when the bowler finally claimed the breakthrough.
The skipper attempted to hit Perera into the stands, but didn't get enough power into the shot as it landed in the hands of Vaas just inside the boundary at long off.
Symonds didn't falter, as he continued to annihilate the Sri Lankan bowling attack, bringing up his 150 in just 125 balls, with Clarke also giving his home town crowd something to cheer about.
Muttiah Muralitharan couldn't rattle the Australian batsman, the spinner finishing with 0-99 from his 10 overs, while Vaas was the best of the bowlers with 4-56.
