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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka suffered their first home Test series whitewash in a Test when Australia won the third and final Test by 121 runs in the penultimate over of the day at the SSC grounds yesterday.

Sri Lanka needing to score 370 runs for victory was all out for 248 on the fifth and final day to complete a comprehensive series victory. Australia won by 245 runs at Galle and by 27 runs at Kandy for Ricky Ponting's men to confirm their status as the no. 1 team in the world.

Australian cricketer Michael Kasprowicz (second from left) is congatulated by his team-mates after dismissing Sri Lankan batsman Marvan Atapattu (Unseen) during the final day of the final Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Colombo, 28 March 2004. Sri Lanka, chasing a stiff 370-run target, were bowled out for 248 runs and lost by 121 runs. (AFP)

Sri Lanka's chances of saving the Test became undone when they lost four wickets for 186 at tea and when Kumar Sangakkara was in the second over after resumption, the writing was on the wall. With Australia having a lot of overs under their belt Sri Lanka needed to bat out time, but that has not been in their nature throughout the series and they went down playing rash shots.

Sanath Jayasuriya and Tilan Samaraweera hit contrasting half-centuries but it needed a longer innings from either of them for Sri Lanka to save the Test.

With the pitch offering slow spin, it was not the redoubtable Shane Warne who did the damage for Australia but the left-arm orthodox pin of Darren Lehmann who took three of the four wickets to fall in the Sri Lankan second innings for 24 runs. He troubled the batsmen with his fast left-arm spin and picked up the wickets of Jayasuriya for 51, Samaraweera for 53 and Mahela Jayawardene for 37 in the afternoon session.

Lehmann who took three wickets for 50 runs in the first innings too six wickets in the match in addition to his first innings knock of 153. He was named man of the match.

Warne needing seven wickets in the Sri Lankan second innings to break West Indian Courtney Walsh's world Test bowling record of 519, took four wickets in the final session but ended up with 517 wickets, two short of equaling Walsh.

Sri Lanka began the final day at 18 for no loss and proceeded through Marvan Atapattu and Jayasuriya to 45 before Michael Kasprowicz produced a similar delivery as in the first innings to knock back Atapattu's off stump. The Sri Lankan vice captain scored 14 in 62 minutes.

Samaraweera promoted in the order to no. 3 and Jayasuriya added 47 for the second wicket, but at 92, Jayasuriya whose presence in the middle was vital if Sri Lanka was to get anywhere close to the winning target, was given out caught of bat-pad by Katich.

It was a poor decision by umpire David Orchard as TV replays clearly showed the ball striking the outside of Jayasuriya's right pad.

Jayasuriya who batted well for his 51 off 83 balls hit seven fours and with his departure Sri Lanka's chances of making a match of it vanished.

Jayawardene joined Samaraweera and the pair added 64 for the third wicket before Samaraweera made a charge at Lehmman and was easily stumped by Gilchrist for 53 scored in 171 minutes with seven fours.

Jayawardene fell to the second dubious decision given by Orchard when he was given out caught behind off Lehmann for 37 when the ball brushed past his pad. Jayawardene hit four fours and a six.

AUSTRALIA - 1ST INNINGS 401 
(D. Lehmann 153, R. Ponting 92; 
M. Muralitheran 5-123).
SRI LANKA - 1ST INNINGS 407 
(M. Atapattu 118, H. Tillakaratne 74 not out, 
S. Jayasuriya 71)
AUSTRALIA - 2ND INNINGS 375 
(J. Langer 166, S. Katich 86; R. Herath 4-92)
SRI LANKA - 2ND INNINGS
(Overnight 18-0)
M. Atapattu b Kasprowicz		14
S. Jayasuriya c Katich b Lehmann	51
T. Samaraweera st Gilchrist b Lehmann	53
M. Jayawardene c Gilchrist b Lehmann	37
K. Sangakkara b Warne 			27
T. Dilshan c Martyn b Warne 		31
H. Tillakaratne lbw b Gillespie 	17
C. Vaas lbw b Warne 		 	 9
N. Zoysa b Warne 			 1
R. Herath lbw b Kasprowicz 		 0
M. Muralitharan not out 		 0
Extras (b-4 lb-1 nb-2 w-1)		 8
TOTAL (all out, 93.4 overs) 		248
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-45 2-92 3-156 4-181 
5-191 6-232 7-245 8-247 9-248.
BOWLING: Gillespie 18-6-38-1 (w-1), 
Kasprowicz 16.4-5-37-2, Warne 33-11-92-4 (nb-2), 
Williams 5-0-19-0, Lehmann 17-2-42-3, 
Katich 4-1-15-0.
Result: Australia won by 121 runs 
and win series 3-0.
First test: Galle, Australia won by 197 runs.
Second test: Kandy, Australia won by 27 runs.     

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