Anyone who had come across the Australians in the days leading up to this match knew how much it meant to them. The insinuations about New Zealand having their number have grated them for some time now, and they let loose some of that pent-up frustration with a display that embodied almost all the qualities which make them such a formidable side. Even on a pitch where the ball didn't race on to the blade, Adam Gilchrist's batting lost none of its hurricane-like intensity. New Zealand and their much-touted pace ace, Shane Bond, were given a real pasting in the first 15 overs, as first Gilchrist and then Ricky Ponting smashed the ball to all corners. That they managed to reel the Aussies in thereafter says much for the captaincy of Stephen Fleming and the exceptional left-arm spin of Daniel Vettori.

Despite the picture of gloom on the scoreboard, Fleming and Vettori attacked relentlessly. Vettori tossed the ball up and challenged the batsmen to go for it, while Fleming packed the inner circle to choke off the runs. Having sauntered past 100 in 14 overs, it took Australia 146 balls to raise the second hundred. Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann – who came after Hayden was deceived by a beauty from Vettori – are strokemakers of the highest quality but they struggled to work the ball away on a sluggish pitch.

Martyn in particular, started off in scratchy fashion, taking several overs to find his feet and unpack his shots. But he and Lehmann gritted it out and the strokes that had earlier found fielders started streaking into the gaps. Rarely during his match-winning knock of 73 did Martyn resemble the supreme batting artist that he can be, but in the context of the match, it was a beautifully constructed innings.

Michael Bevan and Shane Watson – who teed off straight down the ground as cleanly as Tiger Woods – provided the late impetus as previous innings records at the Sinhalese Sports Club were put in the September shade. The bowlers came back well though, with the notable exception of Chris Harris, whose pedestrian offerings were savaged late in the innings.

The target of 297 would have been daunting against most sides, leave alone against a team whose bowling line-up is the best we have seen since the West Indies' early `80s heyday. Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie had ended the contest well within the first ten overs and the rest of the afternoon was about New Zealand chasing shadows and Australia picking up wickets at regular intervals. Bond batted with a brio that his secret agent namesake might have been proud of, but by then, the Fleming script had been sent to the shredder.

Nathan Astle (something tells you there won't be a birthday bash tonight) and Fleming were supposed to be the beacons of hope but they were doused in a hurry by the accuracy and slight movement off the pitch that Gillespie and McGrath got. McGrath went for a few when he wasn't pitching the ball in the corridor, but for once he didn't snarl and berate himself. With five wickets in the bag, he could afford the odd smile.

So much for the Titanic Trans-Tasman clash. New Zealand are a side that consistently play above their station, with one of the most astute captains in the game. But on a day like this, when the best team in the world plays to 75 percent of their potential, there's not much you can do. New Zealand may have had their number earlier, but Australia proved today that it's useless against a changed combination.

Barry Richards summed up the Australian performance with one word, Intensity. They were red-hot today and if they can keep this going, they'll scorch a few teams before taking the trophy home.

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India. His reports will appear here throughout the Champions Trophy.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd