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Elmo Rodrigopulle reporting from Australia....

Did Australia choose England to be their opponents in the best of three Victoria Bitter Series one-day finals? This is the question every one was asking after Australia gifted England the bonus point so that they could figure in the finals.

The ugly and nauseating manner in which Australia achieved their victory target it was obvious that they were manipulating the rules of the tournament.

After England struggled to make 152, Australia laboured to get the winning runs in 47.3 overs much to the annoyance of the full house that packed the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Had Australia made the runs in under 40 overs, they would have denied England the bonus point and still kept Sri Lanka's chances alive of entering the finals had they beat Australia with a bonus point in tomorrow's game.

But now even if Sri Lanka beats Australia and picks up a bonus point, they will draw level with England, but it cannot make the finals because England has a better win-loss record in head-to-head matches. England beat Sri Lanka thrice and lost once.

True, Australia have the option of choosing their opponents for the final. But the style in which they did it, was just not cricket and left a bad taste in the mouth.

Also when Australia left out two of their heavy scoring batsmen from this game, in skipper Ricky Ponting and Mathew Hayden, it left cricket fans asking questions. And their questions were answered when the game was in progress and when the final ball was bowled. Did the Australians take revenge on the Sri Lankans for instigating the Darren Lehmann banning?

Acting skipper Adam Gilchrist made the lame excuse saying that the two-paced pitch made run making difficult. He must tell that to the marines.

For the Lankans the game's the thing and although they have been deprived of making an attempt to play in the finals, they will play tomorrow's game in the manner they have been taught to play and that is according to the rules.

By Australia wanting England in the finals, they have proved that they have the highest respect for the Lankans and their brand of play. The Australians are convinced that Sri Lanka will not be easy beats. They still remember the humiliation heaped on them in the ICC trophy semi-final when Sri Lanka stuffed them at the R.Premadasa Stadium under lights.

As for the Lankans they will field their best team. What the Lankans must seek to achieve is to convincingly beat the Aussies and show the cricketing world that they are second to none.

When Sri Lanka was going well against England at Adelaide, it was the nightmare of a run out where Jayasuriya and Sangakkara crashed against each other and left the skipper run out that led to Sri Lanka tumbling out of the finals.

Being the final game of a near two-month tour the Lankans are out to entertain a massive Sri Lankan contingent that will turn out at the MCG.

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