Ricky Ponting’s 113 and Glenn McGrath’s three wickets helped Australia beat Scotland by 203 runs Wednesday for the second-biggest victory margin in World Cup history.Ponting became the sixth batsman to reach 1,000 World Cup runs as Australia scored 334-6 for their second-highest total ever at the quadrennial tournament — behind 359-2 versus India in the 2003 final — and the equal seventh highest overall.McGrath took 3-14 from six overs as the first-change bowler, his spell instrumental in Scotland being bowled out for 131 in the 41st over.“It was good for me to get some time in the middle. I thought Matty and Adam looked really good at the top,” Ponting said. “The bowlers looked pretty good, pretty sharp, the fielding was pretty good.“We’ll take a bit away from this game and get right for our next game on Sunday, and then our bigger game a week later against South Africa.”Michael Clarke (15) and Brad Hodge (29) shared half-century partnerships with Ponting, while Michael Hussey was stumped for 4 in a decision referred to the third umpire. Dougie Brown’s figures of 1-86 off nine overs were the fifth worst in tournament history. In the 16th over, Gilchrist tried to slog across the line to midwicket on a ball from Brown, missed, and was hit on the back pad. Ponting got off the mark with a midwicket boundary to join Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad, Aravinda de Silva, Viv Richards and Mark Waugh in the elite 1,000-run club. Not long after, he was dropped by wicketkeeper Colin Smith standing up to the stumps to Brown. Hayden played down the wrong line in a forward defensive shot to a ball from offspinner Majid Haq in the 27th over, making the total 139-2.Clarke and Hodge were out on either side of a 30-minute rain delay before Ponting notched 23rd ODI hundred in the 44th over off just 85 balls. But two overs later, he missed an off-cutter from Wright and lost his off-stump with Australia on 274. Brad Hogg (40 off 15 balls) and Shane Watson (18) took 17 off the 49th over and 24 off the 50th to be not out.Scotland started steadily, but lost five wickets for just 21 runs to effectively finish the contest. Smith and Dougie Brown (19) put on a 47-run stand before part-time offspinner Brad Hodge had Brown caught on the fence by Watson to leave Scotland on 89-6. Smith (51) become just the second Scotland batsmen to get a World Cup half-century — Hamilton got two 50s in ’99. He was the last man out at 131-9. John Blain had cramp running in to bowl the first ball of his second spell against Australia and went to the hospital with an unrelated viral complaint. He did not bat.
