Warne pulling out in such circumstances was a blow that could
have devastated the best of teams and many were left wondering
whether Ricky Ponting's men possessed the mettle to survive it.
The early loss of Adam Gilchrist after Waqar Younis won the toss
and put his opponents in did not help matters. But Ponting showed
the way for Australia with an innings that continued to be
aggressive despite wickets falling around him. The Australian
skipper went on make 53 off 67 balls with the aid of seven fours
before becoming the fifth wicket to fall with the score at 146/5
in the 30th over.