Ponting to close in Tendulkar's most run record

Basseterre, St Kitts, Mar 15 (UNI) Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who became the second most prolific batsmen in cricket World Cup history, now eyes to close the gap with Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar in the top run-getter chart.

Ponting stroked a 91-ball 113 in Australia's 203-run crushing defeat of Scotland and in the process totalled 1111 runs from 29 matches to race past four legends -- Mark Waugh (1004), Viv Richards (1013), Aravinda de Silva (1064) and Javed Miandad (1083) -- in the number or runs scored in the quadrennial extravaganza.

Though he is now far behind Tendulkar's most run record of 1732 from 33 matches, the 34-year-old Aussie pocket dynamo said he was ready to give Tendulkar a run for his money.

''Milestones are always nice, they are things I will look back on when I finish my career. I don't worry too much about them now.

''Hopefully, I've got another 10 or 11 games to play in this World Cup and if I play all of those, who knows, I might be sitting at the top of that run-chart,'' Ponting, wo is playing in his fourth World Cup, said after the match.

Ponting's five sixes in the record-equalling fourth hundred took him to 24 sixes overall at the World Cup, one ahead of Sourav Ganguly's 23, while his third hundred as captain drew him level with the former Indian skipper.

Mark waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly also have four centuries each in their names.

The Aussie pocket dynamo also became the fourth player in the World Cup history to score centuries in consecutive innings. Rahul Dravid (104 v Kenya; 145 v Sri Lanka in 1999), Saeed Anwar (103 v Zimbabwe; 113 v New Zealand in 1999) and Mark (130 v Kenya; 126 v India in 1996) have achieved the feat earlier.

Ponting hit an extraordinary unbeaten 140, studded with eight sixes, in 2003 final against India in South Africa before yesterday's 113.

Ponting's milestones: 1. 24 sixes to Sourav Ganguly's 23 2. 1111 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar's 1732 3. Four centuries equalling Mark Waugh, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar 4. Three centuries as captain equalling Sourav Ganguly 5. Two successive centuries joining Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar and Rahul Dravid UNI XC PDS HS1831