Wasim must have had second thoughts when he won the toss. He wanted to bat first because the Pakistanis are reluctant to chase, but the overcast conditions were helpful for the quickies. Glenn McGrath did not let Steve Waugh down and his opening salvo was as good as anything seen in the tournament so far. It set the tone for the pressure the other Australian bowlers exerted on the Pakistan batsmen.

Saeed Anwar glittered briefly but Damien Fleming conjured up an error from the inside edge and the stuffing evaporated from the Pakistan dressing room. Abdul Razzaq and Ijaz Ahmed did the right thing for a while by rotating the strike before the pressure got to young Razzaq.

Shane Warne bowled beautifully once again with flight and guile -- not easy against a side renowned for its excellentplayers of spin. He has come with a rush at the end of the tournament and his 11 wickets in three games enabled him to finish as the leading wicket-taker. For the doubters, he has produced two match-winning performances in the semi-final and final. You cannot question his big match temperament.

Well as McGrath and Warne bowled, poor outcricket and and shot selection brought about the downfall of too many batsmen. Pakistan needed to fashion a partnership and keep a cool head. While Ijaz was there it was possible but Razzaq has to learn to be a little more patient, even in the one-day game. He, Afridi and Azhar Mahmood have no sense of what is required when you need to occupy the crease, that is, rotate the strike and set your target score a little lower.

Even after a poor start, 200 was still possible and that would have given the Pakistan attack something to bowl to. 132 was never enough and Australia were quick to assert themselves with the bat.

Wasim's dream lies in tatters and Pakistan supportershave every right to feel disappointed by their team's performance. They will need to reflect on their mistakes and make sure they don't get pressured out of it ever again. Gilchrist showed how you could play on what was a good wicket. Looking at his score you would think it was the wicket and the white ball again. It was not the case and Pakistan should have got 240 at least. They failed miserably and will have to live with the consequences.

The World Cup only comes around once every four years, and there was much to celebrate -- new names, great games, it was a shame the final was not one of them. Australia are world champions. Who would have said that a month ago?