145;Gilly146;s innings made the final difference146;

Aussie skipper Ponting says farcical end owing to poor officiating took gloss off World Cup triumph

Australian captain Ricky Ponting today admitted that the farcical finish to the cricket World Cup took a bit of the gloss off his side8217;s third consecutive triumph.

Australia8217;s win in the final against Sri Lanka was marred by some poor officiating. With the Sri Lankan batsmen accepting an offer for bad light, the Australian team started celebrating their victory before the umpires incorrectly said the match was not over and made them complete the last three overs in near darkness.

8220;We were running around like lunatics thinking we8217;d won, when umpire Aleem Dar came over and told me, 8216;well no, actually the game isn8217;t over yet8217;,8221; Ponting told Sydney Morning Herald on his return from the Caribbean.

8220;To be honest, I really thought he was joking,8221; Ponting continued. 8220;We get on pretty well, Aleem and I, and we like to have a joke now and then, but I thought this particular one was extremely poorly timed,8221; he said. 8220;I8217;d actually planned the bowling so that Glenn McGrath could bowl the last over of the match and his career, so I guess we were denied that opportunity as well,8221; Ponting said.

8220;I think they8217;ve learned their lessons there and I am sure next time they officiate in big games like that they8217;ll know the rules inside out.8221; Ponting and his team-mates were welcomed by a small group of family and friends and a sizeable media contingent at the airport.

The skipper said the team had celebrated long and hard since claiming the World Cup for a third straight time. 8220;I am feeling more refreshed than I was two days ago, that is for sure,8221; he said.

8220;The celebrations were long and hard which is what they should be after you win a World Cup,8221; he added. 8220;There were some pretty amazing scenes coming back to Australia from guys with not a lot of clothing on at different hours of the morning, but we celebrated as we should,8221; he said.

Story continues below this ad

Ponting said Australia8217;s second straight undefeated run at a World Cup was an amazing achievement and he continued to praise Adam Gilchrist for his man of the match performance in the final.

8220;For us to again go through undefeated and once again have a lot of our players peaking at the right time in the World Cup is an amazing achievement by everybody,8221; he said. 8220;Gilly8217;s innings in the final as I have been flat out telling him, it was unbelievable, that was the one difference between the two teams in the final,8221; he said.

8220;It has been an amazing couple of months of our lives and even more amazing last few days.8221; The team was later feted at a breakfast by Prime Minister John Howard and later by thousands of fans at a civic reception in central Sydney. Howard praised McGrath as one of the all-time greats. 8220;The wonderful Glenn McGrath8230; really has been an ornament to Australian cricket for many years,8221; he said.

8220;He is the greatest fast bowler of his generation and many would say he ranks with the very greatest that the game has seen.8221; Ponting raised the cup to huge cheers at an outdoor ceremony in Martin Place, but the biggest cheers were reserved for Glenn McGrath.