SYDNEY, 4 May 2007 — Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes his team will continue to dominate world cricket for years to come unless their opponents improve.

Rival countries had been hoping Australia would lose their grip on world cricket with the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.

But those hopes look to have been dashed after an Australian team featuring the next generation of players hardly broke sweat on the way to winning the World Cup for the third time in a row.

“The skills that were on display at that World Cup have probably never been seen before in international cricket and that should be something that we should be very proud of,” Ponting told reporters after the team arrived home yesterday.

Ponting said the recent exodus of senior players would not necessarily allow other countries to close the gap.

“I think if anything we have increased that margin between the teams through this tournament,” Ponting said.

Of the 15 Australians who played in the World Cup, only McGrath is quitting. The two openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden both want to continue despite being in their late 30s. There is also no shortage of quality younger players coming through with Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds already team regulars.

Australia’s long search for an all-rounder looks to have borne fruit in the form of Shane Watson, while the fast bowling stocks look as healthy as ever since the emergence of Stuart Clark, Shaun Tait, Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson.

Australia’s biggest problem is finding a long term replacement for spinner Warne, but Ponting said the future was still as bright as ever.

“I think we have just gone ahead and even widened that gap so it is up to the opposition countries to address that fact and look at what we are doing,” he said.

“And look at how they are playing their cricket and make sure next time they played against us, they can compete better against us.”

Sri Lankan Team Honored on Return From World Cup

In Colombo, the World Cup runner-up Sri Lankan cricket team was honored with an elaborate ceremony and a parade through the capital when its players returned home yesterday.

Traditional dancers and drummers performed near the tarmac as the players descended from a Qatar Airways flight, and they were draped with garlands by Sports Minister Bandula Basnayake and other officials, amid light showers.

Buddhist monks, Hindu and Catholic priests, and Muslim clerics performed services to bless the team.

The players were later paraded around the capital, Colombo, in a luxury bus escorted by scores of armed soldiers.

Cricket is a passion in this war-torn island nation and thousands of people gathered along the 30-kilometer (18-mile) stretch of road from the airport to the heart of the city, despite a heavy downpour.

The rain hampered the main outdoor celebration, but a ceremony was held inside Sri Lanka’s cricket board.

“You have brought honor and glory to our country and the whole nation owes you for your wonderful performance,” Basnayake told a gathering of cricketers, relatives and fans.

Team captain Mahela Jayawardene thanked his team’s fans, saying their support was its greatest strength.

There was heightened security around the team following Sunday’s rebel air attack on fuel facilities on the outskirts of the city.

The air raids took place while many Sri Lankans were watching their team on television play Australia in the World Cup final.

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win the tournament for a third consecutive time. Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996.