Lankans battle to save Test

Rain, bad light and stubborn batting by the Sri Lankans stalled Australia’s push for a victory on the fourth day of the first Test at the Gabba, here yesterday.

When the days’ play was finally called off, Sri Lanka were 218 for 5 still requiring 122 runs to make the home team bat again and stave off an innings defeat.

But with the cream of batting gone, with only Chamara Silva and Prasanna Jayawardena, the only surviving batsmen of repute at the wicket, it will be an herculean task for the Lankans to save the game.

The weather here is fickle, and if the present poor conditions continue today, like it did on Sunday, then the Lankans may not drown in this Test.

The Aussies will make use of whatever time the weather allows for play and pressure the remaining batsmen and lure them to their demise.

But for the Lankans if and when defeat comes, it will be an embarrassment, from which they will find it hard to recover and be competitive in the second Test in Hobart, beginning next Friday.

The Lankans managed to get this far because of the stubborn batting by skipper Mahela Jayawardena and Michael Vandort. They batted with great confidence, thwarting every move made by skipper Ricky Ponting to unsettle and dismiss them.

The determined approach of Jayawardena and Vandort seemed to have rubbed off on the batsmen who followed and they too kept the Aussie bowlers at bay. They put on a stand of 102.

Vandort who made a duck in the first innings, played with great composure, cut out the strokemaking frills and settled down to play a long innings.

He fell 18 runs short of a richly deserved century when leg spinner Stuart MacGill bowled him with a big turning leg break. With this wicket MacGill signalled his 200th scalp in Test cricket, which is an admirable feat.

Vandort cut and drove beautifully with good timing and was given good support by his skipper Jayawardena. Vandort hit 11 fours in his 229 minutes stay at the wicket.

Jayawardena too stroked well to stall the Aussies. When he was looking set for a big score, Johnson the left arm pacie got one to kiss the edge of his bat to be well taken by keeper Gilchrist who is having a good match. He made 49 with 9 fours.

Tilan Samaraweera was the other man our for 20 caught in the covers by Michael Hussey who juggled with the ball before clinging to it.

When the game was called off at 4.28 p.m. due to bad light followed by rain at the wickets were Chamara Silva on 5 and Prasanna Jayawardena without scoring.

Michael Johnson returned the best figures of 2 for 47.

AUSTRALIA - 1ST INNINGS
511 for 4 dec.
SRI LANKA - 
1ST INNINGS 211
SRI LANKA - 2ND INNINGS
80 for 2 overnight
M. Vandort b MacGill			82
M. Jayawardena c Gilchrist b Johnson	49
T. Samaraweera c Hussey b Johnson	20
C. Silva not out 			 5
P. Jayawardena not out			 0
Extras					 7
TOTAL (for 5 wkts)			218
FALL OF WKTS: 53, 65, 167, 213, 215.
BOWLING: B. Lee, 16-4-52-1, M. Johnson 19-5-47-2, S. Clarke 12-3-27-0, 
S. MacGill 25-3-64-1, A. Symonds 6-1-21-1. 
The Gabba, Brisbane, Sunday