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By Oliver Brett
BBC Sport at the World Cup final in Johannesburg
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Statisticians and journalists were left scrambling for the record books as Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn tore into India's bowlers in the World Cup final.
Martyn (left) and Ponting did the damage
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The Australian captain started slower than Martyn, but once past 50, he accelerated dramatically, carving eight sixes in all.
That is a record number of sixes in an individual innings in the history of the World Cup, eclipsing Sir Viv Richards and his opposing captain Sourav Ganguly, who both managed seven in an innings.
Richards established his mark on the placid Karachi track in the 1987/88 tournament while Ganguly's collection came at Taunton four years ago.
The opposition on both occasions were Sri Lanka.
Ponting's score of 140 not out was easily the highest in a World Cup final and he only just missed the all-time World Cup top 10.
But just as remarkable as the individual records collected by Ponting was the overall team effort by Australia.
The Aussies have been pretty useful at one day cricket for a while but had never managed to score more than 350 in an innings before.
Now, their remarkable 359-2 - scored in a World Cup final no less, and against an Indian team who had been performing so well with the ball - stands as the eighth-highest overall score in one-day history.
It is also the highest effort by a team anywhere in South Africa, eclipsing India's 351-3 against Kenya at Paarl 18 months ago.
Ponting and Martyn establishing a new record for the highest partnership in a World Cup final, when they notched up an unbeaten 234 between them.
They missed out on a new third-wicket partnership in World Cups by a mere four runs.
But considering they only had 30 overs to hit the 234 they managed, one can hardly begrudge them that.
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