Ponting: Near perfect game

His opposite number Waqar Younis could only acknowledge Australia's superiority.

"The better team won the game - they played a lot better than us," said Pakistan's captain.

"The tournament went brilliantly, it is a shame the way it has ended."

The final was as one sided as their World Cup meeting, in which Gilchrist also scored a half-century.

"There was a bit of deja vu," said Gilchrist.

"It was very pleasing and nice to reinforce our position at the top of the world standings. We want to maintain our standards.

"The bowlers set the game up for us."

Again like the World Cup, Ricky Ponting was there at the end. He completed a memorable series with an average of 99.

"It was very similar to the World Cup final," said Ponting.

"It is a good start to the summer and capped off a really good series.

"We peaked at the right time. We played almost the perfect game today."