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Gilchrist opens up to silence doomsayers

Source: The Australian - January 30, 2006

Adam Gilchrist carved away the frustrations of a difficult year and Simon Katich continued to survive the Phil Jaques charge as the pair notched their highest opening stand to set up an easy victory over Sri Lanka in Perth last night.

Bashing and crashing his way to a 13th one-day century, a spectacular 116 in just 105 balls with 10 fours and four sixes, Gilchrist put paid to any misguided speculation that the veteran was finished as an opener in limited-overs cricket.

Katich played the anchor with 82 in 110 balls, his second successive half-century, allowing the pair to add 191 in 32 overs. It was Australia's third highest limited-overs opening stand of all time and the best since Gilchrist and Mark Waugh put on 206 in Brisbane six years ago.

Last night's stunning performance has dramatically increased the size of the hurdle Jaques must now clear to claim a place in the national team despite his brilliant 94 on debut recently, in place of an injured Katich, and record four ING Cup centuries for NSW this season.

With such a devastating launching pad Australia cruised past Sri Lanka's modest 8-233 to win by six wickets with nine overs to spare, assuring the world champions of a place yet again in the finals.

In an animated celebration of his century Gilchrist ran more than halfway to the change rooms waving his bat in one hand and punching the air with the other before throwing back his head, shouting with joy, and dancing in a circle with bat and helmet raised to acknowledge the crowd.

It was a clear sign of the relief he felt after the most prolonged drought of his career. This was just his second century of the summer in any international match following his blazing 103 against the World XI, the fastest one-day hundred by an Australian, during the ICC Super Series in Melbourne last October.

Last night was a double celebration for Gilchrist, who was captaining the side again in place of the resting Ricky Ponting. Australia's successive wins without him these past few days have quietened the critics of a necessary policy to spell senior players.

Katich has admitted to sleepless nights worrying about his place in the side but this should put his mind at rest for the time being at least. His highest one-day score comes just three days after a half-century in Adelaide.

Gilchrist was eventually caught and bowled driving back to Muttiah Muralidaran and Katich was bowled by Chaminda Vaas within sight of victory doing the team thing chasing a bonus point.

Brad Hodge failed again, caught behind for just two. He will make way for the return of Ponting and could struggle to force his way back into Australia's one-day uniform again.

The contrast could not have been greater for Sri Lanka's swashbuckling opener Sanath Jayasuriya, who was back in the side after missing Thursday's match with a strained thigh.

The former Sri Lankan captain set up an unlikely victory against the world champion in Sydney a week earlier with a blazing 114 from just 96 balls but missed out yesterday, failing to score.

He fell to a wonderful delivery from Lee, which left the opener off the pitch as he pushed forward in the third over of the day.

It began a top-order collapse in which Sri Lanka staggered to 3-27 before a slowly blossoming partnership between Mahela Jayawardene (69 in 92 balls) and Russel Arnold (56 in 88 balls) added 121 in 156 balls.

Sri Lanka was also without its captain, Marvan Atapattu, yesterday but for very different reasons. The back problem which forced him to be subbed out of the Adelaide match prevented him from playing.

Jayasuriya's early loss was followed by the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara, who was brilliantly run out for six by a diving Andrew Symonds charging in from point.

Struggling opening batsman Jehan Mubarak pushed a ball gently into the off side and called Sangakkara through but Symonds beat him with an underarm throw that hit the stumps.

Moments later a prostate Symonds crashed into the stumps as his momentum took him forward.

The Sri Lankan top order received a working over from opening bowlers Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath, who consistently bowled short into the body of the batsmen on the bouncy WACA Ground wicket to cramp them up and prevent them was scoring.

Mubarak in particular had a dreadful time, at one stage being struck on the helmet grille by a fired-up Lee.

The left-hander was eventually out to a short ball for 15 from 34 balls, attempting to pull a delivery from Stuart Clark which lobbed to Ponting's replacement, Brad Hodge, at mid-on.

- MALCOLM CONN