SRI LANKAN cricket came of age last night under the spangle of the Gaddafi Stadium floodlights when they beat Australia by seven wickets to win the World Cup, 15 years after they became a Test-playing nation. They are the first side to win the trophy by chasing. It was the stuff of dreams for Sri Lanka and their captain Arjuna Ranatunga , who was presented with the giant antique-silver trophy by Pakistan's prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Twenty-two deliveries remained when Ranatunga , who as a 17-year-old had batted in his country's first Test, leaned back and delicately ran Glenn McGrath to the third-man boundary to reach 47 and launch celebrations in Colombo that will last for weeks.
At the other end Aravinda de Silva, master batsman, raised his arms in triumph before disappearing into a mob of team-mates and supporters. In the previous over the finest of leg-glances had given him his 12th boundary to take him to 103 and a place in the World Cup history books alongside Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards as the only batsmen to score a century in a final. Together the pair had compiled a fourth-wicket partnership of 97 - De Silva finishing with 107 - and overhauled with ease Australia's modest 241 for seven.
Earlier De Silva and Asanka Gurusinha had put things back on course with a third-wicket partnership that yielded 125 after Australia had dismissed the pinch-hitters Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana by the sixth over.
The impact of this victory will be massive. For years Sri Lankan cricket has been treated shabbily by many, its talents going unrecognised. Nor had it enjoyed the smoothest of passages into the tournament. In Australia this winter accusations were made of ball-tampering and the offspinner Muralitharan was no-balled for throwing by the umpire Darryl Hair. Muralitharan paid the Australians back with interest yesterday, throttling their middle order with a seven-over spell that cost only 15 runs.
Then there was the refusal of Australia and West Indies to travel to Sri Lanka for their group matches in the wake of a suicide bombing in the capital. However understandable that might have been, it rankled.
This was not a victory achieved against the odds, for Sri Lanka were no underdogs. It was founded on spin bowling that kept the Australia innings in check at a time when it might have pressed on to a more competitive total, on top-class catching in the deep and on batting of the highest calibre.
Australia, by contrast, never quite found their way after a start that had seen them to 137 for one by the 27th over. Only Mark Taylor (74) and Ricky Ponting, who made 45, looked in any measure of control while they were at the crease, adding 101 for the second wicket after Mark Waugh had chipped a gentle catch to square leg.
On this of all days the Australia batsmen chose not to dig in but get themselves out, with Taylor caught on the sweep, Ponting bowled making too much room to cut, Steve Waugh turning his bat too early and skying a catch to long-on from the leading edge, and Stuart Law slicing to backward point. No one sold himself dearly.
They were hampered by the combined spin of Muralitharan, Dharmasena, De Silva, whose three wickets meant it was quite a day for him, and Jayasuriya. From the 24th over, when Taylor hit the last of his eight boundaries - there was a midwicket six from him as well - until Bevan struck two fours in the penultimate over, the rope had been crossed only once, in the 43rd over, when Bevan pulled Dharmasena for six. When Australia wanted to crack on there was nothing left.
There is no doubt that the side batting second had an advantage, although Australia would have batted first anyway had Ranatunga not won the toss and, as is the Sri Lankan preference, decided to bat second. The toss, therefore, was academic, but Ranatunga may have been further influenced by the visit his side made on Saturday night to see the ground under lights.
A similar visit by Australia might have changed their own thinking - in the event their bowlers were hampered increasingly by a heavy dewfall as the evening wore on - and not to have made it was an uncharacteristic oversight in usually meticulous planning. It meant that Shane Warne in particular was handicapped and his quota of overs cost 58.
Nothing can detract from the quality of the Sri Lanka batting, however. Just as in their semi-final they lost the benefit of an explosive start, with Jayasuriya deemed run-out by the third umpire - a harsh decision - and Kaluwitharana mistiming a pull to midwicket.
Thereafter it was exhibition stuff, led by De Silva, who on-drove his first ball for three with such majesty that runs for him looked an inevitability. He found support from Gurusinha, whose normally reserved play gave way to an assault on Warne that culminated in one of the strokes of the tournament, a pull cudgelled miles over long-on. With Sri Lanka always up with the required run-rate, it was a needlessly rash stroke that cost him his wicket as he heaved mightily at Reiffel and was bowled, having made 65 from 99 balls.
But any thoughts of a breakthrough for Australia disappeared with the appearance of Ranatunga , who began as he was to finish, running a ball fine to the third-man boundary, and never looked back. His gem of an innings, scored from 37 balls, took the pressure from De Silva, who was content to work the ball around before bursting into life once more with a series of withering wristy strokes.