Adam Gilchrist made 149 off 104 balls in the World Cup final — with a squash ball hidden in his glove — as Australia completed a comprehensive victory that confirmed their status as the greatest ODI side ever assembled.
Australia were chasing a third consecutive World Cup in the 2007 tournament in the West Indies. They had been completely dominant throughout — winning every match before the final. Sri Lanka were their opponents, led by Mahela Jayawardene, a fine batsman who had already made 107 in the tournament.
Gilchrist was later revealed to have been using a squash ball inside his batting glove to improve his grip — a legal but unusual technique he had practised to generate more power in his shots. Whatever the reason, the result was extraordinary.
His 149 off 104 balls was the highest score in a World Cup final in history. It included 13 fours and 8 sixes. He reached his century off just 72 balls. Sri Lanka had no answer — Murali, Vaas, Malinga all dispatched with equal aggression.
Australia won with 8 wickets remaining. The match was effectively over by the 25th over. Australia had won three consecutive World Cups — an achievement no team had previously managed, and which no team has matched since.
Gilchrist's century off 72 balls — the fastest in World Cup final history
Gilchrist's 149 — high score in any World Cup final
Australia win with 8 wickets — third consecutive World Cup title
April 28, 2007
World Cup Final, Barbados — Sri Lanka 236/9 (DLS reduced)
Over 24
Gilchrist reaches century off 72 balls
Over 36
Gilchrist out for 149 — Australia coast to victory
Match result
Australia win by 53 runs (DLS) — third consecutive World Cup
Gilchrist's squash ball revelation caused some debate but no official sanction — the technique was not illegal. Australia's three-peat was celebrated as one of the great achievements in team sport. Gilchrist retired from international cricket the following year.
Gilchrist's 149 was not merely an individual innings — it was the statement that Australia's 2007 side were the most dominant ODI team ever assembled. The squash ball controversy was a footnote to a performance that dismantled a quality Sri Lankan attack.
The 2003-2007 Australian side — who won three consecutive World Cups — are considered the greatest ODI team in history. Gilchrist's 149 is the final act of their dominance. No team has won three consecutive 50-over World Cups.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.