Mark Waugh's brilliant diving catch at second slip to dismiss Wajahatullah off McGrath's bowling started the Pakistan innings on its downward path and set the pattern of total Australian superiority Wasim: suffered with his team

Irresistible Australia take final honours

LORD'S (Pakistan won toss): Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets

THERE was always a danger that a never-to-be-forgotten semi-final would be followed by an anticlimax in the final. Sadly for the occasion, but triumphantly for Australia, it was. Losing the toss was the last thing that went wrong for Steve Waugh and even that was probably a blessing in disguise. His great bowlers, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, were outstanding as Pakistan had a miserable day with the bat and then saw their attacking bowlers hoist on their own petard.

There were 17 fours and a six in the 20-over blitz that followed Pakistan's unfortunate innings. They had one of those days in which catches went to hand, a decision went against them and they could not take the early wickets that alone would have atoned for a disastrous batting performance. They simply could not shake the iron grip that Australia took on the game from the moment that Mark Waugh flung himself yards to his right to grasp Wajahatullah Wasti's flying edge to second slip.

Apart from a little over-experimentation by Damien Fleming with the new ball, the Australians were brilliant. The bowling was formidably good, the fielding spectacular and their batting, even in the face of Shoaib Akhtar's extraordinary pace, positively dismissive. It was one tiny measure of their supremacy that Michael Bevan, still rated by the official computer as the best one-day batsman in the world and acknowledged as one of the finest fielders, barely touched the ball in the field and had no need even to strap on his pads. After their seemingly interminable travels, the Australians will return home in triumph, winners of the World Cup for the second time, with their reputation as the hardest and fittest side in the world enhanced.

For the Pakistan team, the homeward journey will be less attractive. In truth, they should also be returning to praise and congratulations because their cricket has been thrilling and several of the younger men have shown exceptional ability on the world stage. Instead, several of the senior players know that a judgment is imminent from the High Court in Lahore on allegations of bribery. Some careers may be at an end, but to a man they remain the heroes of the thousands of their countrymen based in Great Britain. They were out in force again yesterday to support them with banners, flags and horns, even though the majority had not been able to get a ticket.

An untimely shower delayed the start for half an hour, but the covers were coming off as the teams and their reserves and officials were presented to the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by A. R. Lewis, the MCC president, who must soon tackle a second annual meeting. The argument over members paying for tickets and the empty seats in the pavilion for the opening match seemed to be a long time ago to those who have followed the ebb and flow of the tournament since.

What was needed now was a final flourish; the icing on the cake. For 20 minutes or so, Saeed Anwar promised it, decisively square-cutting McGrath in the first over and forcing Fleming off the back foot. They turned out to be the first two of only ten fours in the entire innings. Saeed followed Wajahatullah Wasti unluckily to the pavilion when he inside-edged on to the stumps via his pads, but, over the next 13 overs, Abdur Razzaq and Ijaz Ahmed managed to keep the formidable McGrath at bay.

Although Razzaq drove Tom Moody to extra-cover, there was still hope for them until Warne came on to spin leg breaks past Ijaz and Moin Khan in his first and second overs. This mettlesome pitch - Steve Waugh rated it a "260 wicket" - suited the maestro. It offered him quick turn and Ijaz, playing back to a good-length ball, was beaten for pace as much as anything. Moin, after a glimpse of what he had done and might yet do, got an outside edge. Instead of lowering their sights and setting out to bat for the full 50 overs, Pakistan now began to make gifts of their wickets, looking for boundaries when, for a time, they had to be content only with singles. There was one crucial misfortune when Inzamam-ul-Haq, surprised by the high bounce of a ball from Reiffel in the 31st over, was given out caught behind when he clearly believed that his bat had made contact only with his pad. The boy who crept like snail unwillingly to school moved a great deal faster than Inzamam to the pavilion.

Shahid Afridi swept, missed and was give out leg-before; Azhar Mahmood drove an inswinger back at Moody and Wasim Akram failed in his attempt to repeat a pull-driven six over mid-wicket. When Ponting dived at third slip to finish the job with an amazing catch, it was all too clear that for Pakistan the carnival was over.

Wasim and Shoaib Akhtar came out in search of wickets as they had to do and Shoaib quickly worked up a pace of 90mph and more, but he held no fear for a cool Mark Waugh and he was meat and drink to Adam Gilchrist on a pitch not all that short of the pace of his native Perth. He cut and hooked with fierce relish on his way to a dazzling, 33-ball fifty.

Gilchist drilled Saqlain Mushtaq's first ball hard to mid-off, where Inzamam held on bravely before walking off with a bruised hand, but Ponting continued in much the same attacking vein and it was all over by teatime.