Perth minus Ponting

ELMO Rodrigopulle reporting from Australia

PERTH, Friday - The Sri Lankan cricketers arrived in Perth carrying with them bitter memories from Adelaide where they lost both games to South Africa and Australia.

However the Lankans were certainly not disgraced though losing both games. They took the games to the wire, and had them on the ropes and it was just one of those things that they could not deliver the punch that could have knocked down their opponents. The Lankans will play Australia on Sunday under lights at the WACA.

Sanath Jayasuriya who was badly missed in the game against Australia is recovering and responding to treatment and so is Ruchira Perera. Jayasuriya will play on Sunday and it is unlikely that Perera would be fit.

Even after the two losses, the Lankans are second in the points table with 9 points, having won two of the five games and have a vital bonus point in the process.If the Lankans can win two of their three remaining games, then their chances of figuring in the finals are very good.

What has the Lankans on reverse is that most of their frontliners are nursing niggling injuries. Apparently that is because of the heavy one-day schedule. But once at this level, the players must endeavor to keep themselves fit and be fit to compete in this cauldron of cricket.

Once again usual skipper Ricky Ponting will not be there to worry the Lankans, with his belligerent batting if he gets going.

The Australian selectors led by chairman Trevor Hohns who are stubbornly sticking to their policy of rotating and resting players have again decided to rest Ponting and earn the wrath of the majority of former players and knowledgeable cricket writers here.

Cricket fans who packed the Adelaide Oval to see the Sri Lanka - Australia game were furious and had their say in the resting of Ponting.

They carried signs aloft showing their disappointment with the rotation policy. What disappointed the fans was that they had purchased their tickets weeks in advance and spelt out their dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms. The banner that caught the eye read like this: VERY DISA-PONTING.

Ponting was meanwhile enjoying his forced rest thousands of miles away playing a solo round of golf at his local club in Suntherland shine.

Adam Gilchrist who did a good job deputizing for Ponting will once again be at the helm and if the brief and dashing innings he played against the Lankans then he seems to have gained the hunger that he usually has for big run making after being rested for two games.

In the game in Adelaide he held back his umpire teasing and tormenting tactics and he and the umpires hit it off well much to everyone's satisfaction.